AT&T Increases Prices on Text Messaging In the Name of Streamlining

Last week, AT&T quietly “streamlined” their text messaging offerings by eliminating the $5 for 200 message/month plan and the $15 for 1,500 message/month plan. This leaves customers with two options -- pay $10 a month for 1000 messages or $20 a month for unlimited messages.

In doing so, AT&T doubled the cost of text messaging for a significant percentage of their customers -- a service that costs AT&T essentially nothing to provide. Normally, this is the type of unjustified price increase that the Federal Communications Commission would look in to. Unfortunately, the FCC has ignored problems with text messaging and refused to move forward on a petition that we and others filed over three years ago. Until the FCC moves, carriers will continue to nickel and dime consumers. Those new buckets will just be pretty wrapping on higher prices.