FCC Looking Into Rural Citizens' Handset Options
Jul 31, 2009, 3:15 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski has said that the FCC will focus part of its review of exclusive handset deals on what choices consumers have who are not served by AT&T or Sprint. Specifically, the inquiry is going to attempt to determine if consumer choice is limited in markets where popular devices such as the iPhone and Palm Pre aren't available because the carriers don't have network coverage in those regions. A number of groups have complained about the deals recently, prompting the FCC's inquiry. The FCC will use the information gained by this investigation to determine if indeed the exclusive handsets deals made between phone makers and carriers are unfair to consumers.
Comments
Stay out of it...
So if enough people on spring complain, then apple has to let them use the iphone? Which means apple now then has to design and build a phone that will work on their network?
I don't give a rats ass about any of these carriers. I don't even own a computer! I'm not even typing this right now.
Feh !
Why should Apple have the right to prohibit a customer from r...
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My Biggest issue with this:
but rather it is "these customers can't get the iphone because att doesn't offer service in their area."
So basically they are looking at forcing apple to offer the phone to rural carriers because ATT doesn't offer service there. Will they also force these carriers to offer the phone because customers complain? Will they force the carriers to offer it at the same price as ATT as well, even if the phone is more expensive for them to buy?
As someone else said, will they force blockbuster to open store in every small town that doesn't have a video rental store already?
And on the same hand, they'll be fining ATT, Verizon, and any actual national ...
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Menno said:...
I REALLY like KFC original recipe, but there isn't a KFC near here... does that mean I can force KFC to give the formula to the local diner since the lack of a store in my area is limiting my choice to get a heart att
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Comparing your desire for KFC to this issue is a really naive analogy.
AJ
waaaahhhh!
I am a wireless provider. Because I have 10 customers, my close family. Apple won't let me carry the iphone. Furthermore, I have created a new technology called analog. These frequencies became available because of you and now Apple won't make me a phone. This is not fair business practice. AT&T gets it just because they are huge and nationwide. Just because I am my own LLC and have towers all throughout my land (an entire 3000 sq. ft.) they say it is not cost effective to make the iphone for my network and I should just get on att. True my service is about $20,000 per month per customer due to cost of towers and maintanence but that will go down if I get the iphone and my subscriber numbers will increase. I've already lost 30% ...
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