[TheBigNewt]

Sometime in the future the FCC has decided to stop allowing a carrier the right to release a phone exclusively. As I recall it had something to do with new bandwidth that they sold, but I'm not sure. Does anyone have any details regarding this?

[Lord Palmerston]

I haven't heard that, and couldn't find anything on it with a basic search. The only thing I found was the FCC banning exclusive telecom deals for apartment complexes.

[TheBigNewt]

Carriers keeping hands on the reins | Tech news blog - CNET News
I think I was referring to the new spectrum that Verizon bought at auction which loosely requires open access for all carriers/devices. there's a reference to it in this article. But it doesn't sound like the exclusive deals in the US are gonna be gone anytime soon. Which is too bad. Admit it, some of us choose a different cell network just to get the BB handset o'day (I did that in 2006). Some of us wait for our fave network's latest BB offering. It would be cool if we, the saps that shell out upwards of $100/month for our gizmos, could actually choose our device and our network based on our needs. Is that too much to ask?

[complexx]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the regulation your referring to is not designed to remove exclusive phone contracts. It was to stop carriers from denying use of other foriegn carriers phones on their network. Example: If you try to use a Sprint 8830 on the Verizon network, Verizon will deny you the privilage.

I believe the regulation would allow you take a competitors phone and use it on your network, given it was compatible. However, this will not cause the respective carriers to lose their ability to offer exclusive deals on new phones. That's a major characteristic in the cellular business and I don't think it will ever be removed.