It soon could become a crime in Idaho to send people unsolicited ads by fax.

The House voted unanimously for legislation making unsolicited ads by fax the same violation as covered by state telephone solicitation laws barring harassment by salesmen.

Sponsor Rep. Jeff Alltus, R-Hayden, said people can hang up on telephone solicitors, but a fax machine can’t hang up and can’t tell the difference between unwanted ads and legitimate communications.

“It costs you money to receive a fax,” Alltus said. “The idea here is that it will stop the sending, not necessarily the receiving.”

, DataTimes