Cell Phone Firms Adopt Spam Rules

Report: New guidelines cover unsolicited spam, opt-out requirements, ads and promotional programs.

In a recent story in CNN Money, the nation's leading cell phone service providers have adopted the first set of guidelines for mobile marketing, according to a report by AdAge.com.

The "Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services" covers unsolicited messages, opt-out requirements, advertising and promotional programs, the report said.

The guidelines were jointly developed with the Mobile Marketing Association.

"The purpose of the Mobile Marketing Association is to safeguard this new form of spam that is literally in your face," said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a Ralph Nader group that monitors advertising.

"All the major carriers were the driving force behind the guidelines," said Mark Desautels, vice president of wireless Internet development for CTIA, the wireless association, formerly known as the Cellular Technology and Internet Association.

Desautels said customer service concerns led carriers such as Cingular Wireless, Nextel (Research), Sprint (Research), T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless (Research) to abide by the guidelines to avoid situations where "people are running up $500 for services they didn't realize they subscribed to."

According to the report, text messaging and other cell phone services beyond making voice calls are starting to generate major revenues for carriers, between 5 and 10 percent, Desautels said.

Full story at CNN Money.

Tags:  anti-spam, antispam, spam