California text tax vote canceled after FCC ruling

FRESNO, Calif. -- The California Public Utilities Commission announced on Twitter Friday that it's no longer voting in January on the text tax that would have added a surcharge to text messages.

The decision came after the Federal Communications Commission ruled text messages are an "information service, not a telecommunications service."

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According to KABC's sister station KGO-TV's media partner The Mercury News, that's important because critics say the commission cannot impose the tax without federal officials classifying text messaging as a "telecommunications service."

Assemblyman Jim Patterson said on Twitter to consider the text tax canceled.

"You can bet I'll keep a watchful eye on the CPUC for future attempts to tax our text messages, but for now we will consider the Text Tax cancelled."