In September 2007, Verizon Wireless rejected our application for a text-messaging short code.
That meant Verizon customers wouldn't have been able to get information about us through their phones.
That's a big deal. Almost one in four cell users has a Verizon phone.
The corporation didn't just say no. It called our work "controversial" and "unsavory."
We used a communications and member-mobilization plan to call on Verizon Wireless to reverse its decision.
On September 27, the New York Times ran a front-page story on Verizon's actions. We launched an activist alert. In less than two hours, we delivered 20,000 email messages to Verizon.
The media reports made a difference. We saw a 62-percent jump in text-messaging subscribers, a 213-percent increase in web-site traffic, and nearly 200 anti-Verizon policy blog posts on The Huffington Post and other sites.
Our plan worked. Verizon reversed its decision less than 24 hours after the first story was published.
Our text-messaging program continues to grow, with more than 10,000 subscribers so far. You can join Txt4Choice now.
