The server will look up the gateway's name in the directory list of Gateways for a match. It will NOT look up nor verify the person's Internet address. The Internet e-mail gateway connects to the First Class server every 15 minutes. The incoming mail is transferred to First Class, the out going mail is collected from First Class, the gateway then packages the outgoing mail and sends it off to the University of Washington. Further delays may occur at any routing station.
Electronic mail is based upon the concept of an address.
Your email address provides all of the information required to get a message to you from anywhere in the world. Each country also has its own top-level domain names. The us domain includes the fifty states.