A bill aimed at curbing the menace of unsolicited email, or spam, has been passed by the US Senate Commerce Committee.

The legislation, which had the unanimous support of both Republicans and Democrats, will enable the Federal Trade Commission to prosecute spammers and levy fines of up to $10 per email with a cap of $500,000.

"Rampant pornography and fraudulent credit deals were never the destiny of the internet, but they have become commonplace fixtures in in-boxes everywhere," Montana senator Conrad Burns, who presented the bill, told Reuters.

Unsolicited email blocks inboxes and costs companies and internet users time online deleting unwanted messages. A total of 22 US states have already passed anti-spam legislation.

E-marketers are now required to provide a working email address for disgruntled people to get themselves taken off mailing lists.