Upcoming rules could break open wireless market

Federal regulators Tuesday are scheduled to pass new rules aimed at breaking open the tightly controlled wireless market, potentially making it easier for consumers to use any handset and software they choose with certain services. But some analysts are skeptical that the Federal Communications Commission’s rules for an upcoming airwaves auction will loosen the grip of big wireless carriers that may be intent on steering consumers to their own cellphones and services. FCC commissioners were negotiating late Monday on ways to prevent that from happening. “Open-access” requirements are expected to be imposed on about a third of the airwaves sold in January’s auction. That means the winner of that spectrum would have to offer a service that lets subscribers use any handset and download any software they wish.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2007-07-30-fcc-auction_N.htm

This entry was posted on July 31, 2007 at 12:28 pm and is filed under Wireless, USA Today. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.