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Senator Questions Rise In US Texting Prices

Posted by kdawson on from the competition-what-competition dept.

vimm writes "Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) has started an inquiry on the rising prices of text messaging (up 100% since 2005) that has occurred almost in sync with the consolidation of 6 major carriers down to 4. In a letter sent to Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile, Kohl said the increase 'does not appear to be justified by rising costs in delivering text messages.'"

7 of 592 comments (clear)

  1. Wag the dog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Who cares. So the costs went from a dime to two dimes. Maybe it is even a blantant example of monopolistic behavior at work.

    But honestly, we have much bigger problems to worry about. Bringing this price back down to a dime will not stop the erosion of the American dollar, will not create jobs or raise wages for starving American workers, will not halt the monopolistic practices that continue to destroy the American economy, will not get the real estate market back on track, will not bring our troops home, will not prevent the total collapse of our health care industry, will not do a thing to address the growing identity theft crime wave, and so on.

    Once again our representatives quibble over secondary (but showy) BS while the serious issues go ignored.

    1. Re:Wag the dog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      Yeah but the only problem with "ordinary citizens" is they tend to miss the bad guy and hit grandma over there in the aisle seat ;)

      Which is worse, grazing granny or letting a terrorist hijack your plane?

    2. Re:Wag the dog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      Fucking retard.
      The same bullshit keeps costs high for everything else.
      But I guess if FOOD has become too expensive, maybe I shouldn't eat it anymore.

    3. Re:Wag the dog by PC+and+Sony+Fanboy · · Score: 0, Troll

      You'd either be passed out from sheer exhaustion, or working furiously away lest your employer get the idea he could get slightly more production at less cost from some desperate member of the surplus population.

      or you'd be insanely rich because you're making money off the backs of other people.

  2. Re:Cost != price by Firehed · · Score: 0, Troll

    If you need to get a message to their phone immediately, you could... you know... call them. You've prepaid the voice minutes, might as well use them. I realize that pushing out a quick no-response-necessary message is sometimes easier over text than phone, but you don't know they got it (whereas if you speak with them, obviously they've received the message), no need to type out anything on those stupid keypads, no additional charge, etc.

    --
    How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
  3. Re:Technically it was in an amendment. by davester666 · · Score: 0, Troll

    If it wasn't in the constitution, the federal government wasn't supposed to be doing it.

    That whole "wasn't supposed to be doing it" part doesn't really seem to have been taken to heart by the current administration...

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    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  4. If you think the cell companies are ripping us off by raehl · · Score: 1, Troll

    ... the post office is charging $0.42 per text message, and it takes days to get there!

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    paintball