{"id":1902,"date":"2007-09-26T22:22:00","date_gmt":"2007-09-26T22:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2007\/09\/verizon-rejects-pro-abortion-text-messages.html"},"modified":"2007-09-26T22:22:00","modified_gmt":"2007-09-26T22:22:00","slug":"verizon-rejects-pro-abortion-text-messages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/09\/verizon-rejects-pro-abortion-text-messages.html","title":{"rendered":"Verizon rejects pro-abortion text messages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, who’d have thought? <\/p>\n

One of America’s leading communications companies has turned its back on a powerful abortion rights group over what it describes as “controversial or unsavory” content. <\/p>\n

From the New York Times<\/a>: <\/p>\n

<\/a>Saying it had the right to block \u201ccontroversial or unsavory\u201d text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon\u2019s mobile network available for a text-message program.<\/p>\n

The other leading wireless carriers have accepted the program, which allows people to sign up for text messages from Naral by sending a message to a five-digit number known as a short code.<\/p>\n

Text messaging is a growing political tool in the United States and a dominant one abroad, and such sign-up programs are used by many political candidates and advocacy groups to send updates to supporters.<\/p>\n

But legal experts said private companies like Verizon probably have the legal right to decide which messages to carry. The laws that forbid common carriers from interfering with voice transmissions on ordinary phone lines do not apply to text messages.<\/p>\n

The dispute over the Naral messages is a skirmish in the larger battle over the question of \u201cnet neutrality\u201d \u2014 whether carriers or Internet service providers should have a voice in the content they provide to customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is right at the heart of the problem,\u201d said Susan Crawford, a visiting professor at the University of Michigan law school, referring to the treatment of text messages. \u201cThe fact that wireless companies can choose to discriminate is very troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n

In turning down the program, Verizon, one of the nation\u2019s two largest wireless carriers, told Naral that it does not accept programs from any group \u201cthat seeks to promote an agenda or distribute content that, in its discretion, may be seen as controversial or unsavory to any of our users.\u201d Naral provided copies of its communications with Verizon to The New York Times.<\/p>\n

Nancy Keenan, Naral\u2019s president, said Verizon\u2019s decision interfered with political speech and activism.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo company should be allowed to censor the message we want to send to people who have asked us to send it to them,\u201d Ms. Keenan said. \u201cRegardless of people\u2019s political views, Verizon customers should decide what action to take on their phones. Why does Verizon get to make that choice for them?\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesman for Verizon said the decision turned on the subject matter of the messages and not on Naral\u2019s position on abortion. \u201cOur internal policy is in fact neutral on the position,\u201d said the spokesman, Jeffrey Nelson. \u201cIt is the topic itself\u201d \u2014 abortion \u2014 \u201cthat has been on our list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Nelson suggested that Verizon may be rethinking its position. \u201cAs text messaging and multimedia services become more and more mainstream,\u201d he said, \u201cwe are continuing to review our content standards.\u201d The review will be made, he said, \u201cwith an eye toward making more information available across ideological and political views.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naral provided an example of a recent text message that it has sent to supporters: \u201cEnd Bush\u2019s global gag rule against birth control for world\u2019s poorest women! Call Congress. (202) 224-3121. Thnx! Naral Text4Choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messages urging political action are generally thought to be at the heart of what the First Amendment protects. But the First Amendment limits government power, not that of private companies like Verizon.<\/p>\n

In rejecting the Naral program, Verizon appeared to be acting against its economic interests. It would have received a small fee to set up the program and additional fees for messages sent and received.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Just a thought: now might be the time to switch your wireless carrier to Verizon.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:<\/b> Well, that didn’t last long. From the NY Times<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Reversing course, Verizon Wireless announced yesterday that it would allow an abortion rights group to send text messages to its supporters on Verizon\u2019s mobile network.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision to not allow text messaging on an important, though sensitive, public policy issue was incorrect,\u201d said Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon, in a statement issued yesterday morning, adding that the earlier decision was an \u201cisolated incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, Verizon rejected a request from the abortion rights group, Naral Pro-Choice America, for a five-digit \u201cshort code.\u201d Such codes allow people interested in hearing from businesses, politicians and advocacy groups to sign up to receive text messages.<\/p>\n

Verizon is one of the two largest mobile carriers. The other leading carriers had accepted Naral\u2019s request for the code.<\/p>\n

In turning down the request last week, Verizon told Naral that it \u201cdoes not accept issue-oriented (abortion, war, etc.) programs \u2014 only basic, general politician-related programs (Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, etc.).\u201d<\/p>\n

In yesterday\u2019s statement, Mr. Nelson called that \u201can incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy\u201d that \u201cwas designed to ward against communications such as anonymous hate messaging and adult materials sent to children.\u201d The policy, Mr. Nelson said, had been developed \u201cbefore text messaging protections such as spam filters adequately protected customers from unwanted messages.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the program requested by Naral would have sent messages only to people who had asked to receive them.<\/p>\n

Nancy Keenan, Naral\u2019s president, expressed satisfaction yesterday. \u201cThe fight to defeat corporate censorship was won,\u201d she said. But Ms. Keenan added that her group \u201cwould like to see Verizon make its new policy public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verizon did not respond to repeated requests for copies of the policy or an explanation for why it is withholding it.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, who’d have thought? One of America’s leading communications companies has turned its back on a powerful abortion rights group over what it describes as “controversial or unsavory” content. From the New York Times: Saying it had the right to block \u201ccontroversial or unsavory\u201d text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nVerizon rejects pro-abortion text messages - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2007\/09\/verizon-rejects-pro-abortion-text-messages.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Verizon rejects pro-abortion text messages - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Well, who’d have thought? 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