USA.net adds postage to its e-mail

E-mail company USA.net said Monday that it plans to switch from a free to a fee-based consumer e-mail service in response to the economic downturn.

Colorado Springs, Colo.-based USA.net said people have 30 days to transfer account names and saved messages to the new service. People who sign up before July 31 will pay $29.99 for a year of service. Those who sign up after that date, however, must pay $49.99 a year. --Gwendolyn Mariano, Special to ZDNet News