REGIONAL CARRIERS PETITION FOR VERIZON THUNDER SALES

The wireless phone industry is reaching the saturation point, so exclusive phone sales matter more than ever, especially ones like the iPhone for AT&T or the touchscreen Blackberry Thunder for Verizon, theese phones drive people to particular carriers. So it's no wonder the Rural Cellular Association (repping smaller regional carriers) is petitioning the FCC to ban exclusive deals, which seem to push people out of smaller local carriers to the larger established sell phone carriers, since it can take months or years for trickle down. The iPhone is at the center of the complaint.

One major complaint is that most people in Vermont can't get an iPhone, since AT&T only has roaming coverage there, and none of the carriers in the area can offer it. While it sounds like a nice, egalitarian thing the gov't could latch onto, the petition will probably fail.

As big as FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is on promoting competition, it's really only particular kinds of competition, and this doesn't really fall into the rubric. Moreover, this isn't the first time this kind of petition has been filed, and it's been smacked down every time before. Sorry, to say but there are still going to be many that are not going to be able to get an iPhone till iPhone 4 or 5, when that AT&T exclusive finally runs out.