The fight to keep speech free in text messaging continued last week, when Public Knowledge and all of the original parties filed comments with the FCC, repeating our message to the Commission that text messaging must be protected. In those comments, we drove home the point that because text messaging and short codes are offered to the public at large, they are common carrier services subject to nondiscrimination, and further developed the policy reasons that text messaging needs to remain a free communications medium.
Last Friday marked the end of the comments period for the petition, and at first glance, it appears that over two hundred parties, including public interest groups, innovators, carriers, and invididual citizens, have filed. Now we will begin the process of reading what everyone had to say and responding to the arguments that were made by opponents of the petition. You can expect our reply comments, which are due by April 14, to respond directly to those arguments and make it clear why the FCC should declare that text messages are protected by the law.
And don't forget, you can make your voice heard, too, by filing reply comments through our easy-to use portal. It's a quick way to let the FCC know why text messaging and free speech are important to you, too.