Wisconsin Senator Addresses The Text Messaging Crisis

All other national problems having been solved…

Senator Herb Kohl, Democrat of Wisconsin and the chairman of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, wanted to look behind the curtain. He was curious about the doubling of prices for text messages charged by the major American carriers from 2005 to 2008, during a time when the industry consolidated from six major companies to four.

So, in September, Mr. Kohl sent a letter to Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, inviting them to answer some basic questions about their text messaging costs and pricing.

I get unlimited text messaging for ten bucks a month. What an outrage.
Reportedly, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile sent the Senator text messages in response:

AT&T: ^URS

Sprint: 4Q

T-Mobile: ADAD. AFAHMASP. BIOIYA.

I think T-Mobile went a bit too far. …Germans.

6 thoughts on “Wisconsin Senator Addresses The Text Messaging Crisis

  1. This is an outrage! They still haven’t resolved the issue of ATM fees for out-of-network use. One thing at a time!

  2. It’s a good thing I got the unlimited text messaging at $10/month when it came out. I actually looked at my teenager’s message total for November: 17,532. I pointed out to her that that’s over 550 messages a day. She shrugged and said, “So?”

    I can see why she claims to need a new phone every year. Those buttons must be worn clean off.

  3. Wow.

    My daughter says the 1000/month plan isn’t enough for her. I was, to say the least, quizzical.

    No more.

    Ho lee cow.

  4. I get several hundred text messages a month for $5. Pretty good deal.

    So, how much money does Herbie Kohl cost tax payers? Maybe we need to look into his congressional spending.

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