Verizon recently rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights group, to make Verizon’s network available for their opt-in text message program.

Verizon had initially claimed that the text messages violated their policy against messages that were “highly controversial.” From the WSJ:

In a statement Thursday, Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said, “The decision to not allow text messaging on an important, though sensitive, public policy issue was incorrect, and we have fixed the process that led to this isolated incident.”

He added, “Upon learning about this situation, senior Verizon Wireless executives immediately reviewed the decision and determined it was an incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy.”

Verizon Wireless said Thursday its policy had been developed before text messaging protections such as spam filters “adequately protected customers from unwanted messages.” It was designed, the company said, to ward against communications such as anonymous hate messaging and adult materials sent to children.

Naturally, we’d try to start a text message consumer alert program on Verizon ourselves in order to make sure they’re really being honest about their new “loose” policy, but we imagine they’d just text back “LOL, no.”

Verizon Wireless Ends Ban On Abortion-Rights Group [WSJ]
(Photo:meghannmarco)

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