Verizon Does Something Dumb (and then walks it back)

Yesterday Verizon Wireless said they were going to charge .03 "tax" on content providers sending messages.

Today they realized that by charging 3 cents a message to content providers they would be losing 15 cents per message they charge the subscriber.

So they hedged and seem to have walked it back a bit.

T-Mo Too

To follow up my post yesterday regarding VZW and AT&T offering flat rate...

T-Mobile has joined the fray

Verizon Wireless is Going Flat Rate on Voice

It's finally happening; the incremental cost of voice minutes is going to zero. Verizon Wireless is rolling out an unlimited minute, flat rate, voice plan. What's interesting is that this is more af a marketing change than anything else. The vast majority of cell phone subscribers currently use less than their alloted minutes every month. But the minute timer is still there in the back of their heads. This lowers that psychological barrier.

Now this doesn't mean that we expect users to start listening to longer Foneshows. We still believe the medium is about content snacking. We don't believe anyone wants to listen to a three hour talk show on their phone.

Follow up:
Mere hours later AT&T also has a flat rate plan available.