Over here in the UK, we can stick a SIM into any unbranded handset we like. Is that not so in the US? If not, this is going to be the first time I ever side with big G!

...is that the FCC specified the "open device" rule. Ever since the breakup of AT&T, the FCC has, during Republican administrations (especially Reagan's), been slowly aiding the mega-telcos to merge, and deliberately and knowingly choking off smaller service providers who might, without government interference, have provided some competition to Verizon, Sprint, and Cingular (the Death Star company), and might also have provided some innovation in the field.

Innovation is bad for monopolies. The FCC has bent over backward to ensure that no innovation takes place.

Apparently, the Commissioners thought that they could use sleight-of-hand to hide their refusal to require wholesale access, by distracting us, the public (the VOTERS) with the bone of open devices.

It's not working. This move will positively cause the Republicans to lose even *more* seats in the Senate and Congress next year.

And I am no Democrat, either - but I can see who will benefit from the FCC's stubborn support for monopolies. It's not going to be good for Bush and Company.

The lack of a wholesale requirement is not the same thing as a prohibition on wholesale. The issue is not that the lack of open access requirements would force Google or whomever to lock things down, but that said lack would make the spectrum more appealing to Verizon and the like, so they could then easily outbid the Champions of Freedom (tm).

The point being that the last bit, about the lack of a wholesale requirement making it harder for smaller upstarts to share costs in a bid, sounds a tad absurd. Unless there's something I'm missing.

One thing I'm unclear on - even though the FCC didn't include the wholesale requirement, is there anything in the rules that would prohibit the buyer from leasing to others at wholesale rates?

I mean, if someone 'nice', like Google, buys it, they can lease for whatever they want, right?

I know the danger here is that someone 'bad', like Verizon, will outbid Google and, without the wholesale clause, shut out the independents with too high lease fees.

Adam, you ignorant slut!

If the requirement is not there, how many monopoly-loving monopolies do you think will offer bandwidth at a competitive wholesale price? Or will they price it just high enough that it's not profitable, thereby choking off competition?

Look the wireless industry has enough. They took the cell phone band (channels 70-83 in the USA) and now they don't use that (they went to the 2.1 GHz band). Pretty soon, the FCC will auction off all of the remaining channels, and we won't have any more TV left. In that case we will all be watching our TV on postage stamp size screens and driving around getting into accidents.

The more channels that are auctioned off, the more we loose "broadcasting", and a collective soul.

Oh, well.....

It seems as if all everyone is doing is waiting for permission for a Service rather than Granting IT to oneself to Provide the Service with ITs Internal Administration/Hypervisor.

Are you telling me that Google have to obey Rules in a Market which is not even Born Yet but which is being Conceived..... which Means that IT requires Boldly Going MoveOn LeaderShips?

Whoever thought of such a Stupid Thing? Some Status Quo Junkie/Flunky/Hanger-On.

If MSGoogle can Provide Rule with Providing Information Beta, let IT be. CyberIntelAIgents Use IT 42 Create NeuReal Streams of Thought for Positive Reinforcement with Examination/Sampling/BetaTesting .... AI Tasting which can infinitely tuned/immaculately seasoned.

Looks like they've lowered the medication a bit - for a while he was posting whole sentences and even dabbling in grammar.

they should auction off the spectrum in a dutch auction, smaller zones for licencess, high bidder gets first choice, as many zones as they want at the price,

then next highest gets to pick how many they want. etc.

smaller rural areas will go for cheaper, so small ISPs can also have bidding rights.

I personally like the open access, open device, wholesale access rqmnts, this is a national resource we the US citizens (not the government) are auctioning off.

Dan