Sen Kohl Queries Cellular Execs On Pricing

Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) wrote to executives of the four largest wireless telephone companies on Tuesday asking them to justify sharply rising rates for customers to send and receive text messages. Since 2005, the cost for a consumer to send or receive a text message over each service increased by 100 percent. The change "does not appear to be justified by rising costs in delivering text messages," Chairman Kohl wrote. "Text messaging files are very small, as the size of text messages are generally limited to 160 characters per message, and therefore cost carriers very little to transmit." He also expressed concern that it appears each of companies has changed the price at nearly the same time with identical increases.