I am pretty sure this is how they got Bezos' texts. All you need to do is register a CLEC and then you can get your official hookup to SS7. My experience isn't

I am pretty sure this is how they got Bezos' texts. All you need to do is register a CLEC and then you can get your official hookup to SS7. My experience isn't with messaging but I'd imagine if you bid* to deliver messages to a certain area much lower than other carriers, you can target people. * Bidding doesn't happen in real time, but you can tell carriers your "rates" so to speak.