Verizon Rejects Text Messages From Abortion Rights Group

[SecularMotion]

Source: NY Times

Saying it had the right to block “controversial or unsavory” text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon’s mobile network available for a text-message program.

The other leading wireless carriers have accepted the program, which allows people to sign up for text messages from Naral by sending a message to a five-digit number known as a short code.

Text messaging is a growing political tool in the United States and a dominant one abroad, and such sign-up programs are used by many political candidates and advocacy groups to send updates to supporters.

But legal experts said private companies like Verizon probably have the legal right to decide which messages to carry. The laws that forbid common carriers from interfering with voice transmissions on ordinary phone lines do not apply to text messages.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/business/27cnd-verizo...

[Der Blaue Engel]

1. Good to know

I was just about to switch to Verizon. Guess I'll stick with AT&T.

[Norrin Radd]

4. T-Mobile is progressive internally among it's employees

(though they hedged their bets and donated to both parties during election season -- hopefully they'll wise up next time). Here in King County, Washington, T-Mobile gives domestic partnership insurance benefits to unmarried gay and straight couples.

[BRLIB]

2. OK, I have had a Verizon plan since 2000, I will ditch them

Switching completely to Pay as You go.... Prepaid, $7 per month, 10 cents per minute after that...
Is that a bad deal? I maybe do 100 minutes per month. (Virgin Mobile now for that paygo)
My Verizon is $40 per month, 400 minutes....

Now for long conservations, I now do Skype (VOIP) (Watch for the telcos to try to ban it....)
I have the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet (no "phone", also no fees) but in a Wi-Fi you have Skype included-free phone calls to any Skype VOIP client. Skype-Out $30 per year for unlimited calls, US, Canada, to any traditional "phone number". I already have saved money.....

[eShirl]

13. make sure you let them know why

[Omaha Steve]

3. People give me crap because....

We have AT&T. AT&T hasn't censored us. Ya I know, national security act participation and abortion rights are 2 different things. I'm sticking with AT&T.

[Ian David]

5. Let's send the most nastty, over-the-top ANTI-abortion messages we can over Verizon.

Until the pendulum swings THAT way, too.

Picture messages of aborted fetuses to the teen message groups until the stink raised is so big...

[pattmarty]

6. Oh, but they can turn over private e-mails/texts to the government though.

[nuxvomica]

7. Verizon has been my local service carrier since the breakup

But I may switch. My long distance and wireless carrier -- Working Assets -- actually donates part of my fees to NARAL so that's good.

[robinlynne]

8. and moveon can't put an ad in the NYT. put it all together, censorship

done by pressure on private corporations from the gov't acting on behalf of corporations...

[Dover]

9. Ahhh, corporate governance. I thought corporations were 'individuals'?

Should individuals make decisions for the public?

And what about monopolies? Do people actually have a choice of carriers? Perhaps in some parts of the country, but not all.

[Beerboy]

10. Huge corporations, hell even small companies are well known

to be very leery of being controversial in any way. Look @ the huge fracas engendered by the urban legend of Proctor and Gamble's "man-in-the-moon" logo being associated with 'satanism' back in the late 70s. They spent a fortune in PR and advertising to defend their reputation against unfounded bullshit. And that was well before the cyber-age.
What would be the reaction of people if Verizon agreed to a deal to text pro-Halliburton or pro-Blackwater messages?
Should a private company be allowed to choose who advertises with them, or do we need to Call Congress, RFN!!!1?!

[annabanana]

11. if enough customers

object to this illegal censorship of lawful communtication.. will they back off?

[City Lights]

12. We aborted Verizon's service last month.

Good riddance to corporate censors.

[pa28]

14. Their customer service is bottom of the barrel horrible.

I'll never get the hours back I spent on hold and being passed around in circles from phone tree to phone tree trying to get a simple billing matter fixed but I can suggest this could be just the excuse to find yourself a decent wireless provider.