The FCC on Wednesday voted to classify text messages as an information service, allowing mobile carriers to block texts in a move that supporters say will help crack down on spam messages.
The proposal was passed in a 3-1 party-line vote, with the lone Democratic commissioner opposing the move, according to The Hill.
The order makes clear that Short Message Service (SMS) is an information service as opposed to a telecommunications service, which would carry with it a common carrier designation prohibiting wireless providers from blocking or discriminating against users.
It's similar to how the FCC deregulated internet service providers in overturning its Obama-era net neutrality rules. The commission voted along party lines last year to rid broadband providers of the common carrier tag by classifying them as information services and in the process rolling back protections against discrimination against certain websites.
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