Take Back the Beep Campaign

Right now, the carriers continue to enjoy their billion-dollar scam only because we’re not organized enough to do anything about it. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to sit there, waiting to leave your message, listening to a speech recorded by a third-grade teacher on Ambien.

Let’s push back, and hard. We want those time-wasting, money-leaking messages eliminated, or at least made optional.

via From the Desk of David Pogue - Take Back the Beep Campaign - NYTimes.com.

I’m not sure that David Pogue is right about the amount of money made by adding that 15 seconds of airtime (since billing is by minute, not by second), but I agree that it is both annoying and that its purpose is to increase revenue.  I wrote in to Verizon about it.  He makes a good point:  We know what to do at the beep, so why do we need the message?