Advocacy groups are urging the FCC to regulate text messaging services in the US. Groups such as Public Knowledge filed comments in the FCC’s inquiry into text-message blocking, with concerns being raised last year about anti-competitive behaviour from the telcos in regards to shortcodes. “There is a real and ongoing problem in the U.S. communications network today,” the groups said in their new filing. “Those who control the entry points into the communications system want to be able to control who can speak to the public and what can be spoken about through the rapidly growing medium of text messaging. Wireless carriers are currently openly engaging in discrimination against potential competitors, and claim the right to exercise editorial control over what their customers read and who they can communicate with” reports IDG. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) responded that if the carriers weren’t allowed to block messages or senders it opened the floodgates to spam, and to “ads promoting drugs, pornographic content, harassing messaging campaigns”. Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile Commons, said that the petition to the FCC is asking the agency to prohibit carriers from blocking messages that people opt in to receive, so the chance of raising the levels of spam is minimal.

• US Operators Refusing Short Codes For ‘Competing’ Services