FCC To Scrutinize Exclusive Phone Deals
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The FCC had decided to take on the task of evaluating whether exclusive handset deals, like AT&T’s hold on the iPhone, is good for consumers after several U.S. senators urged regulators to examine the issue earlier this week.
SEE ALSO: Don’t Like AT&T’s Hold On The iPhone? Tell Your Senator
Julius Genachowski, who is Obama’s nominee to head the FCC, will be reviewing the complaints, according to his written response to questions submitted by Sen. John Kerry, reports the WSJ. Genachowski was confirmed in a hearing earlier this week, so it was interim FCC Chairman Michael Copps, who had already instructed FCC staff to begin looking at the exclusive arrangements.
Handset exclusivity aren’t the only wireless issues that have gotten lawmakers’ attention recently. They have also been looking closely at whether they are charging extraordinary rates for text messages and whether the fees paid by consumers to break long-term contracts are fair. And, in a separate matter, the IRS asked Congress to abandon a law that taxes personal cellphone calls that are paid for by a worker’s company, calling it “obsolete.”
Posted In: Gadgets, Legal, Regulatory, FCC, Technologies / Formats, Operating Systems, SMS, iPhone
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