Not everyone is happy with the decision. Jessica Rosenworcel, the lone Democrat Commissioner, voted against the measure over concerns it could lead to abuse. Similar to the net neutrality repeal, the rejection of common carrier regulation gives providers the "legal right" to block text messages or even the content of those messages, according to Rosenworcel. In other words, it eliminates some safeguards for everyday people and puts more power in the hands of cellular giants.

This doesn't mean telecoms are about to start silencing critics or censoring mentions of their competitors. Spam texting is clearly an issue in the US. It's not clear that this approach was necessary to curb bulk texting, however, and it's possible that handing extra power to carriers could lead to trouble in the long run.