FCC Now Looking Into Exclusive Handset Deals With Mobile Carriers

June 19, 2009 by Black Berry Action Plan
Filed under Accessories

After some prodding from John Kerry earlier in the week, the FCC is going to investigate exclusive deals struck between phone makers and mobile carriers, to see whether or not they stifle consumer choices and the development of new technology.

According to PC World, FCC Chairman Michael Copps hinted that if they do discover unfavorable effects as a result of exclusive handset deals, they won’t be opposed to regulation. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also rambled on, saying something about how if Microsoft and IBM had exclusive deals Google would have never existed. Um, what?

Always nice for a reporter to bump into a developer who builds mobile applications for startups and gives you a live preview and details of yet-to-be-announced stuff. No worries, he has permission to talk about the apps (he thinks).
Call it an announcement of an announcement, if you will — not quite as detailed as we’d like, but it’s one small morsel of information on the long road to the US’ second Android handset.
Presidential race loser and US Senator John Kerry (remember him?) has sent a note to the FCC basically asking why AT&T has an exclusive iPhone contract with Apple.
From Motorola Dynatac to Apple iPhone, Karl Bean’s amazing matrioshka models detail the history of cellphone design from 1983 to what looks like 2007 (that’s a first-generation iPhone if we’re not mistaken).