Verizon reverses decision on abortion text messages

Says original decision to block abortion rights group's messages was "incorrect"

Verizon Wireless has reversed its decision to block text messages sent out by Naral Pro-Choice America, the carrier announced Thursday.

The company’s announcement came mere hours after the New York Times first reported that Verizon Wireless had rejected requests by Naral, an abortion-rights advocacy group, to use the company’s network for mass text messaging.

“The decision to not allow text messaging on an important, though sensitive, public policy issue was incorrect, and we have fixed the problem that led to this isolated incident,” said Verizon spokesman Jeffery Nelson, who attributed Verizon Wireless’ initial decision to “an incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy.” In particular, he said that the old policy had originally been designed to protect customers against spam and “against communications such as anonymous hate messaging and adult materials sent to children.”

Naral currently sends out text message alerts to anyone who signs up to receive them through its Web site. Other mobile phone networks, such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint Nextel, allow groups such as Naral to send text messages to their members.

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Verizon Wireless has reversed its decision to block text messages sent out by Naral Pro-Choice America, the carrier announced Thursday.

The company’s announcement came mere hours after the New York Times first reported that Verizon Wireless had rejected requests by Naral, an abortion-rights advocacy group, to use the company’s network for mass text messaging.

“The decision to not allow text messaging on an important, though sensitive, public policy issue was incorrect, and we have fixed the problem that led to this isolated incident,” said Verizon spokesman Jeffery Nelson, who attributed Verizon Wireless’ initial decision to “an incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy.” In particular, he said that the old policy had originally been designed to protect customers against spam and “against communications such as anonymous hate messaging and adult materials sent to children.”

Naral currently sends out text message alerts to anyone who signs up to receive them through its Web site. Other mobile phone networks, such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint Nextel, allow groups such as Naral to send text messages to their members.

Sam Simon, the founder and president of public affairs firm Issue Dynamics, says that Verizon Wireless’s original decision to bar Naral from sending out text messages was not a case of nefarious censorship, but rather a case of a company that badly needed to update its texting terms of service.

“Verizon hasn’t realized that they’re in the media business now,” he says, referring to the advent of text messaging as a form of communication. “They need to put some resources and attention into it, and they need to realize that they’re not just a phone company.”

The controversy over Verizon Wireless’s text policy began after Naral had sent in two short code applications to Verizon Wireless. The company responded by sending Naral a rejection letter stating that “VZW Legal does not accept issue-oriented (abortion, war, etc.) programs -- only basic, general politician-related campaigns.”

Naral president Nancy Keenan fired a letter to Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam earlier this week addressing his company’s contention that Naral’s text messages could be “controversial or unsavory to some of our users.”

“There is nothing illegal about discussing these topics,” she wrote. “Americans have sharp disagreements on these issues, but they would agree that Verizon Wireless does not have the ‘sole authority’ to determine if or when customers receive information they voluntarily request.”

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