The Wall Street Journal published an article today detailing the contents of letters sent by the Federal Communications Commission to Apple, AT&T, and Google regarding the
pulling of an application that facilitates the use of Google Voice services on the iPhone.
I don't subscribe to WSJ, so I can't read the whole
thing. Thankfully, CNN Money has
given us the low down. One letter requests information from Apple about the nature of the application and whether or not AT&T was consulted on the matter. The inquest is part of a broader investigation into the exclusivity agreements manufacturers have with carriers.
FCC Chairman,
Julius Genachowski, said Friday that the FCC "has a mission to foster a
competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote
innovation and investment." He also said that they are looking into the rural markets where customers avoid high-end devices due to carrier exclusivity.
John Walton - Cell phone editor
John Walton is a student and writer who spends most of his free time fingerpicking an acoustic guitar and authoring biographical snippets in the third-person. He lives with his wife and their cat,...
I think we have benefited by having Apple's magnificent brainchild, the iPhone, supported by just one carrier, specifically AT&T.