ATT Contract change

What is the name of your state? NY

Hi i just saw this statement on my latest cell phone bill:

Messaging Pay Per Use Rate Change Notification
Effective 3/30/08, AT&T will charge 20¢ for text/instant messages & 30¢ for picture/video messages sent or received on a pay-per-use basis. If you already subscribe to a Messaging Package or Media Bundle, there is no change to your rate. By purchasing a Messaging Package, you can send and receive messages for as little as a 1¢ per message. Sign up and save at att.com/getmedia

According to ATT's consumer code:
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/consumer-code.jsp

Looking at part 7 of the code, shouldn't I be allowed to cancel my contract without an early termination fee?

Do i have a strong enough case to call customer service and get out of my contract. I've been with at&t for the past 2 years, and the text msg rates have gone up 100% since i've first signed a contract with them and i'm tired of it. I don't txt message a lot but I still receive them from my friends from time to time. Technology has gotten better and text msgs should be cheaper, instead of the reverse. They are taking advantage of a txt msg trend and those who refuse to sign up for their text msg plans are suffering.

Thank you for reading.

There is no absolute answer. Personally, I believe that the rate change is "material" and would justify a cancellation without penalty. AT&T, as you can imagine, would probably disagree. If you try to cancel and the rep gives you a hard time, try going up the ladder to someone in charge. If that doesn't work, try calling the Consumer Fraud folks at the AG's office ((800) 771-7755). They might be able to help.

Assuming your contract is for phone service, and not a text messaging service, then I doubt a rate hike for the ancillary and purely optional text message service is a material change of your phone service contract.

It can't hurt to give the argument a try, though.