AT&T spams subscribers with "Idol" text message

I pay my AT&T bill on time, every month, and what do I get in return (besides a flurry of dropped calls)? This lousy SMS spam shilling "American Idol."

AT&T Free Msg: Get ready for American Idol! AI 8 starts this Tues (1/13) at 8pm on FOX. Check out AT&T's official AI web site from your PC – www.att.com/idol for the latest info on our $1MM sweepstakes, test your AI IQ by playing the trivia game, and much more. Reply stop to end mktg msgs

You bet I replied "stop"—and I'm sure many fellow AT&T subscribers did so as well, judging from the angry response on Twitter and elsewhere. (Example tweets: "Really AT&T? I'm paying U over $100 a month & U still think its cool 2 send me text messages advertising American Idol?" … "If AT&T wants to waive my $95 monthly mobile bill, it can send me unsolicited American Idol ads. Otherwise, bad form today folks.")

AT&T Wireless spokesman Mark Siegel told the New York Times that the message was merely a "friendly reminder," and that "it makes perfect sense to use texting to tell people about a show built on texting."

Well, "American Idol" is build on calling too, right? So how about hitting us with a barrage of robocalls while you're at it?

Yeah ... didn't think so.

As the Times story points out (via an interview with a Federal Trade Commission rep), there's nothing illegal about AT&T's Idol spam: It isn't a deceptive ad, and there's a clearly stated "opt-out" at the end. And no—the Idol text didn't ruin my day, nor did it take more than a second to delete.

That said, I'm plenty annoyed that my carrier—the one I'm paying $95 a month to—thinks nothing of using my iPhone as a billboard, whenever it needs to squeeze in a little more revenue. (The least they could do is give us a piece of the action.)

What do you think: Should carriers be allowed to spam its subscribers as it pleases? Or would you be fine with SMS spam if, say, your carrier knocked a buck or two off your monthly bill?

Related:
A Text Arrives. Oh, It’s Just an ‘Idol’ Ad. [NY Times]