Stefan Mileschin

It turns out it was another sop to help telcos again

Earlier this week we wondered what had fallen into FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s cornflakes after it was announced that it was cracking down on annoying robocalls and automatic text messaging.

Could it be that the man who surrendered the internet to US telecoms monopolies might ae starting to take his consumer protection role seriously?

It turns out not really.

The FCC announced in November that it plans formally to classify text messaging, currently of indeterminate regulatory status, in the same category as high-speed Internet. Proponents claim the change will help wireless carriers stop unwanted communications from flooding customers’ cellphones. But as critics point out, moving text messaging to a regulation-light realm could also allow companies arbitrarily to block even legitimate communications.

The FCC moves classified texting under the same category as phone calls which should deter robot-spammers.

However, the FCC has made clear in previous rulings that carriers already have the ability to implement blocking technology that keeps out calls consumers do not want to receive — and that the same rules apply to texts.

https://fudzilla.com/news/47752-fcc-...s-which-wasn-t