Verizon Bars NARAL's Texting

This is highly controversial:

Verizon Wireless is refusing to carry text messages from a prominent abortion-rights group, citing its internal restrictions on content that is "highly controversial," the carrier said.

Naral Pro-Choice America requested that Verizon Wireless and other carriers distribute its text messages that users sign up for by sending a message to a five- or six-digit number called a "short code." The program is used by many companies and other groups to distribute short text messages for marketing and other purposes.

Verizon Wireless -- owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and the United Kingdom's Vodafone Group PLC -- rejected Naral's request, citing the carrier's "code of content," which prohibits controversial content.

The move sparked outrage from Naral. "Regardless of people's political views, Verizon customers should be able to decide how to use their phones for political action," said Ted Miller, a Naral spokesman. "Verizon shouldn't make that choice for them. Verizon shouldn't be allowed to arbitrarily censor their activities."

Verizon should not have the right to do this. As long as NARAL isn't inconveniencing anyone with their texts - they're not, you have to sign up here to receive them - and subscribers are paying for them, Verizon should not be able to have a say in the content that's transmitted over their service. All NARAL is doing is keeping its members up-to-date on abortion-related news and encouraging activism.

Corporations should not be allowed to be unfettered entities. When they run up against democracy they must be restrained. This is no different from a restaurant refusing to serve someone because of the color of his skin. If Verizon can do this legally we need to rush to pass common carrier standards.

Let's not even get started on the blatant hypocrisy. Do you think Verizon would be in such a rush if these were pro-forced childbirth texts? Furthermore, the women's rights activists aren't the ones who are setting up billboards and other graphic demonstrations that might offend people.

Update: look like they've had enough:

But the company reversed course this morning, saying it had made a mistake.

“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,” Jeffrey Nelson, a company spokesman, said in a statement.

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