According to the Times, carriers such as T-Mobile and AT&T have said price hikes are inconsequential because many customers now have unlimited texting plans. The newspaper reports that Senator Herb Kohl, D.-Wis., chairman of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, has been looking into the issue by sending inquiries to the carriers.

The article also states that text messages cost carriers very little to transmit. Therefore unlimited plans might make sense.

So is increasing the cost of each message necessary? The answer is unclear.