US Senator Herb Kohl from Wisconsin is questioning the rapid rise of text message costs being passed on to consumers, which stood at 10 cents in 1995 and doubled to 20 cents today according to Engadget Mobile. One possible theory has to do with the consolidation of the wireless market leading to fewer competition.

On some carriers, if you opt for a cheaper text messaging plan that includes a limited finite number of messages per month, and go over your allocation, then the overage per message charge is relatively cheap and won’t be assessed the expensive 20 cent rate.