Text message services let you send short messages between communications devices, including mobile and Internet devices. You have the right to stop unwanted text messages, demand transparency in billing, and maintain two-way communications via text messages during emergencies. The FCC strongly encourages consumers to comply with local and state laws and eliminate distracted driving risks, such as texting while driving, that endanger the public.
Consumers should be able to use text messaging networks to their full capacity in emergency situations. To ensure these capabilities, the FCC supports the Next Generation 911 initiative, designed to connect consumers to emergency systems like 911 via text messaging. The FCC has also enacted requirements for a Commercial Mobile Alert System to allow emergency communications from commercial mobile service providers to consumers.
