Bill (in CA) would ban text-message campaign ads

[question everything]

Bill would ban text-message campaign ads

ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 20, 2005

SACRAMENTO – Politicians couldn't use text messaging to bombard cell phone and pager owners with unwanted campaign ads, under legislation approved yesterday by the California Assembly.

Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews, D-Tracy, said her bill would protect cell phone and pager owners from being hit with fees to pay for political messages they didn't want. She said text messaging has been used in at least one California campaign.

State law bars businesses from sending unsolicited text message ads. Matthews' bill would extend the ban to political advertisements.

It wouldn't apply to a candidate or campaign committee that had a previously established relationship with the message's recipient and had offered the recipient an option not to receive the message.

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Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050520/news_1n20phones.html

[benburch]

1. Is this likely to be Constitutional at all?

Doesn't sound that way to me!!!

[patdem]

2. This is not FREE speech if the recipient is FORCED to pay a fee to

receive the message. I would not want to receive an unsolicited ad that cost ME money!!!