Special delivery, indeed

Goodmail has signed four new Internet service providers to participate in a program that guarantees marketing email delivery, reports The Associated Press.

Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner's Road Runner, and Verizon have joined the Goodmail CertifiedEmail program. Under the deal they can charge businesses to ensure delivery of their e-mail messages.

Businesses can opt not to pay the fee, but risk having their e-mails blocked as spam at the ISP level.

The inclusion of a Goodmail "seal of approval," which will appear on emails whose companies have paid the fee, is meant to help users better navigate between credit card statements and other financial messages that are often mimicked by phishermen.

Other companies can apply for Goodmail approval but the service is targeted primarily at financial institutions and e-commerce sites. Goodmail will not consider companies that have been in existence for less than a year.

Charges to businesses generally run 1/4 of a cent per e-mail, with revenue split between Goodmail and the ISP.