An iPhone Isn’t An Unalienable Right
Several organizations, including the Free Press, Mozilla and some rural carriers, have asked the Federal Communication Commission to forbid exclusive deals between device makers and carriers. You know, like the deal AT&T has with the iPhone, or the myriad others that keep certain hot phones with certain carriers? The complaint was filed last year, but with the FCC focused on an election, the DTV transition, white spaces, universal service fund reform and a ton of other issues, it never made it as a big concern.
Earlier this year the groups tried again, sending out press releasing to members of the media trying to raise the issue a second time, possibly before a more favorable FCC chair. They’ve succeeded at drumming up some press. Anyone who wants to buy an iPhone without committing to the AT&T network will likely sympathize with the cause.
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not to belabor the point, but initially, you said consumers could not tell the difference between carriers, and that’s why handset exclusivity is valuable; then in your subsequent comment, you said that Verizon is expensive but has a better network, and that T-Mobile is decent and cheaper.