Catching Up: Wireless Network Neutrality

Tim Wu, Wireless Net Neutrality: Cellular Carterfone on Mobile Networks: “The wireless industry, over the last decade, has succeeded in bringing wireless telephony at competitive prices to the American public. Yet at the same time we also find the wireless carriers aggressively controlling product design and innovation in the equipment and application markets, to the detriment of consumers. Their policies, in the wired world, would be considered outrageous, in some cases illegal, and in some cases simply misguided.”
Tim Wu, Slate Magazine, Why the iPhone isn’t really revolutionary: “The iPhone’s style and user interface are pathbreaking, and (as the iPod proved) aesthetics do matter. But the iPhone is—so far—not a product that will turn any industry inside out. Seen as a phone, the iPhone is striking. Seen as a small computer, it’s limited, and compromised by the existing business models of the wireless industry. Saying the iPhone is a pointless gadget is a bit too strong. But it isn’t yet a revolutionary device.”
The New York Times, When Mobile Phones Aren’t Truly Mobile: “WIRELESS carriers in the United States are spiritual descendants of dear Ma Bell: they view total control over customers as their inherited birthright.”
Susan Crawford blog, The iPhone hearing: “This morning the House Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Markey (D-MA), is holding a hearing about a range of wireless issues:  the role of states in providing consumer protection in this market, and the role of Congress and the FCC in protecting innovation.  Markey’s focused in particular on early termination fees and portability generally.  He’s also concerned that the carriers are exerting too much control over the features and functions of wireless devices.  ”