Spam on your computer is bad enough, but when it starts showing up on your mobile phone, it’s infuriating. Unwanted messages can come from anywhere, and without an unlimited texting plan, you’re the person who winds up paying the bill. It’s so terrible that you have to wonder: Why the heck isn’t sending mobile spam illegal?
Well, it turns out that it is – or, at least, it will be. Effective October 16, 2013, a new Federal Communications Commissions rule will make it illegal for a business to send you a text message without your prior express written consent to do so. Exemptions will be made for informational texts, such as the kind you might get from your bank or credit card company. Political campaigns will also be exempt.
The FCC’s move puts a lot more power in the hands of the public when it comes to ending harassing texts, and that’s definitely a good thing. There’s no list you have to sign up for, and no form you need to fill out. The texts will simply stop, unless you tell them it’s OK to continue.
If you ask me, October can’t get here soon enough.
