As hinted at yesterday, Verizon has announced that they've implemented GoodMail's "Certified Email" system, which charges marketers and mass mailers a fee to bypass an ISP's spam filters. To become a "certified" mass mailer, companies pay around a quarter of a penny per message sent -- with half of those fees going to the ISP.

The Verizon press release insists the service is a boon to consumers and a way to differentiate "legit" spam from less ethical pitches:

"CertifiedEmail is part of an extensive suite of services that Verizon uses to help protect its customers from spam and other e-mail abuse," said Peter Castleton, director of Verizon consumer broadband services. "The problem of phishing and fraud erodes trust in e-mail. A certification service, such as CertifiedEmail, enables us to help restore that trust and makes it easier for consumers to identify legitimate e-mail messages."

"Goodmail has established itself as a leading delivery service provider for trusted-class e-mail," Castleton added. An incoming e-mail with a blue-ribbon envelope icon tells the customer that the sender has been accredited and that the message is from a trustworthy source."

Time Warner Cable/Roadrunner, Cox and Comcast have also decided to implement the system.