Verizon to charge SMS companies to deliver SMS to subscribers?!

Verizon to charge SMS companies to deliver SMS to subscribers?! This is absurd. Verizon is essentially going to kill the use of shortcodes and B2C SMS services in the United States. (Click the title above to read the original article.)
The nation’s No. 2 carrier has informed partners that it will add a 3-cent fee for every MT (mobile terminated) message processed on its network beginning Nov. 1. MT messages typically include text alerts, interactive voting notifications and SMS search responses.
This is absolutely unbelievable. Verizon is going to charge SMS companies to deliver messages to handsets. They say this fee is to "cover costs" when there is virtually no cost associated as is. This kind of greed by Verizon seals the deal - I will never, ever go back to being a Verizon Wireless customer.