Editor: David Tanny
Home, Latest News, 2007 Archives, E-Mail
Separate iPhone From AT&T (July 14, 2007)I've been complaining a lot about the fact that cell phones are purposely designed to be tied to just one service provider. To me, that's way too restrictive and needs to be brought to an end.Now that the $500-$600 iPhones are out, I would prefer them to work with T-Mobile instead of AT&T, which sucks donkeys. I won't go with Sprint because their service blows. Verizon, GTE, AirTouch, Nextel, whatever else there is, should also have the right to work with an iPhone. From savetheinternet.com The slick ads for Apple's "revolutionary" new iPhone promise to "put the Internet in your pocket." But the only way to get one of these gadgets is to sign on with AT&T -- which limits what you can do and where you can go on the wireless Web. You don't have to own an iPhone to know how this works: The big mobile phone companies lock their devices so they won't work on other networks, cripple innovative applications, stifle competition in markets and restrict access to their "preferred" content. It doesn't have to be this way. Today, Free Press is launching FreetheiPhone.org -- a campaign that demands an open, competitive wireless Internet for everyone. Here's a sneak peek of the new Web site. Please join us by signing the petition: Free the iPhone. Demand Wireless Freedom. Phone giants make a ton of money by locking people into exclusive deals for the newest phones and levying big fees for early termination. Once you sign up, they force you to use their slower-than-dial-up networks; cripple new features like Wi-Fi, video, music and games; and make you buy content that they control. They can get away with this because there's not real competition. You should be able to unlock your device and use it on any network. You should be able to choose from many providers, competing for your business with better service, lower prices and new innovations. And you should be able to access all content and services without interference from corporate gatekeepers like AT&T or Verizon. That's wireless freedom. Politicians in Washington have the power to grant this freedom, but they must hear from us first. Demand Wireless Freedom. Contact the FCC and Congress! The FCC is about to auction off a valuable portion of the public airwaves that can carry wireless internet signals through concrete buildings and over mountains. It could connect tens of million of Americans who are now being bypassed by the phone giants: If we open up these and all other airwaves to new competitors, protect your freedom to go where you want online, and unchain the devices -- not just the iPhone but whatever comes next -- we can create a new kind of mobile Internet in America, one that is truly open and accessible to all. Be the first to visit FreetheiPhone.org and take action today.
Timothy Karr
|