Verizon urges FCC to include RCS in declaratory ruling for SMS, MMS

While wireless operators generally and wholeheartedly support the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to classify SMS and MMS texting services as “information services” rather than “telecommunications services” or “commercial mobile services,” Verizon is urging the commission to go a step further and include Rich Communication Services (RCS) as well. In a draft of the declaratory ruling that the FCC will consider at its Dec 12 meeting, the FCC acknowledged that RCS is the next-generation SMS and is an IP-based asynchronous messaging protocol. It allows users to, among other things, use mobile banking services, share high-resolution photos and files, track locations and interact with chatbots.  Verizon, which is in the midst of introducing RCS to more phones beyond the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, told the commission in a Dec. 6 filing in the docket that the technical characteristics of RCS are similar to those of SMS and MMS.