California mulls texting fee to help poor people get phones

Sacramento, Calif. • California regulators are considering a plan to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones to help support programs that make phone service accessible to the poor, according to a newspaper report Wednesday.The proposal is scheduled for a vote next month by the state Public Utilities Commission, the Mercury News reported.The wireless industry and business groups have been working to defeat the plan."It's a dumb idea," said Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area C