very cool.
yesterday, skype filed a petition with the fcc asking that wireless carrier services be subject to the carterfone principle. huh? trust me, this is good stuff.
long story short (as mentioned in previous posts): the carterfone policy, dating back to'68, set the stage for american consumers to attach any device we might choose to the wireline network, so long as it doesn't harm the network. this is why we no longer have hardwired black rotary dials in our homes. competition and choice. pretty simple all-american concepts, no?
notwithstanding that both the original cellular rules in the 80's and the pcs (digital cellular) rules in the early 90's upheld the carterfone principles, the selection of devices available to u.s. consumers has remained pretty meager, due to unique features of the u.s. wireless market, e.g. subsidies, locks, etc.
what skype (and others, but not yet in this manner) is asking is that the fcc declare the wireless realm subject to the carterfone principle giving consumers the same right to attach any non-harmful device of their choosing to the network. um, well, yeah. why not? seems sorta self evident, no? (okay, okay, as expressed in previous posts, there are legitimate counter-concerns as well).
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