Calif. bans mobile phone spam

California's mobile phones should soon be officially freed from unwanted text messages.

On Thursday, Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill that would prohibit companies from spamming mobile phones and pagers with unwanted text messages. The law, sponsored by Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, goes into effect in January.

Davis said he endorsed the plan because he didn't want unsolicited messages on mobile phones to reach the same level of mayhem that spam e-mails have.

"These days, telemarketers and advertisers are intruding on everything--our home phones, our cell phone, our fax machines and our pagers," Davis said in a statement. "Today, California cuts the line on unsolicited faxes, phone calls and text messages."

Representatives from the wireless and text messaging industry did not immediately return requests for comment.

Davis also signed two other tech privacy bills, including one that would mandate stricter junk fax laws and another designed to speed the creation of a "do not call" list.