Home › DMW Daily › June 22, 2009

FCC to Examine Handset Exclusivity Deals With Carriers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 22, 2009 - 10:35am.
Washington - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that it will open a formal proceeding to examine the exclusive deals between cell phone makers and wireless network operators that some have argued restrict consumer choice, such as the exclusives between AT&T (NYSE: T) and Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone, and Sprint (NYSE: S) and Palm's (NASD: PALM) Pre.

A Senate subcommittee held a hearing on the issue last week. The FCC said in a statement that its proceeding will attempt to "determine whether some of these arrangements adversely restrict consumer choice or harm the development of innovative devices."

"In the fast-changing wireless handset market, too, we must ensure that consumers are able to reap the benefits that a robust and innovative competitive marketplace can bestow," said FCC acting chairman Michael J. Copps.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ko9di (PDF of FCC statement)

Published in DMW Daily, June 22, 2009
tags: Mobile | Law | Policy | Apple | AT&T | Sprint | FCC | Cellphones | Palm | iPhone | Palm Pre |



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