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Article: FCC to look at exclusive cell phone deals
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- June 19, 2009
- Author:
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Regulators will investigate whether exclusive cell phone deals, such as the one that locks the iPhone to AT&T, are good for consumers.
The acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Michael Copps, has instructed the commission's staff to review exclusivity arrangements.
"In the fast-changing wireless handset market ... we must ensure that consumers are able to reap the benefits that a robust and innovative competitive marketplace can bestow," Copps said Thursday at an industry conference in Washington.
Carriers generally negotiate exclusive deals that last six months to a year, after which other carriers can also sell the phone model to ...