Robo Texts here to stay for current election cycle

UNDATED (WCBI) – They can be informative, irritating but they aren’t illegal.  That’s the ruling on the rash of robo calls and robo texts hitting this campaign season.  Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley wishes the political messages could be banned but current law does not allow for that.   Presley says numerous citizens have reached out for answers about the calls.

“I’ve received several messages from citizens that have received political text messages. I wish this practice was illegal but it isn’t. It is my understanding that these firms gather this data from publicly available documents, mainly voter registration applications where you list a number. Again, this SHOULD be illegal but like political polling and political robocalls, it isn’t. Please reply STOP to any text you receive and you should be taken off of that particular list of text messages. Thank you for understanding that my office has no jurisdiction over this matter, but I find it as annoying as you. Last week I personally received text messages from both political parties in Tennessee, although I am in Mississippi.”