Most US Carriers Agree to Stop Scam Texts - The UpStream

We all know the scourge of premium text messaging companies; services that send you an unsolicited message and charge you for that privilege. Since the creation of the short messaging services, almost everyone has had the opportunity to fight with their service provider over the charges incurred because of these services.

Fortunately for customers, 3 of the 4 major US carriers have recognized the cost of these calls to their bottom line and are doing something about it. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have decided to stop charging their customers for these insidious text messages.

Well, maybe it isn't as easy as all of that. In fact, these three carriers are responding directly to requests from 45 of the 50 states to end this business model. The official announcement even came from Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, not from any of the carriers themselves.

There is one obvious, glaring omission: Verizon Wireless. VZW is also in the process of closing up their PSMS business, though it was not part of this announcement. Verizon says that it had previously decided to close down this business itself, but not because of state or customer complaints. Instead, they say they are exiting because of a change in the way customers retrieve information.

So, are you one of the many people who has been afflicted by this wireless disease? Are you excited to hear about the end of this business? Let us know in the comments.