Comments on: FCC official: No need to mandate 'open' mobile networks...yet

Democrat says he'll take wait-and-see approach to pursuing new rules requiring wireless carriers to let consumers use whatever applications and devices they desire.

[Cord Blomquist]

Competition Works Better Than Mandates

The FCC shouldn't mandate openness in networks for the same reason the government shouldn't declare that Costco is a better than Giant or Safeway. Open and closed networks, like wholesale and retail grocery stores, are just different business models. Recent history has shown that closed models don't work in many cases. In the last few years, the music industry has dropped DRM, opening tracks to a whole new world of hardware. Similarly, telecoms like Verizon are finding that openness can help them in the marketplace. But even if openness works well in these cases, that's not reason to say it works in all cases. Just as we wouldn't tolerate the feds mandating that Giant and Safeway start selling pallets loaded with gallon jars of mustard, we shouldn't allow the FCC to make decisions that should be left to consumers in a free and open marketplace. If we give closed system the chance to fail on their own, we won?t have to regret shutting them down prematurely. Similarly, if some consumers opt to go with closed services because of greater security or simplicity, we?ll be glad to have left those options open. Ultimately, an open market is more important than any individual business model.

[Kesteral]

What FCC and Music industry are doing are the same thing.

The Music industry has NOT dropped DRM, they are experimenting with a more open business model to see how responsibly consumers use it. Just as the FCC is waiting to see how honest the wireless phone companies are about opening up their networks. If either group see an abuse of the system, they will attempt to go to a more controlled system. Whether they can or not will be an intresting study on the rights of businesses and government.

Personally, I can easily see the music industry going quickly back to DRM, but I have trouble seeing the FCC having the power to make the wireless companies open up their networks.

[ethana2]

these are integral components of the network and that one size does not fit

Can you say 'horribly designed network'?

So tell me; do we give CDMA and GSM the axe and rollout WiMAX everywhere? I'm more than ready to do it. This is what we want; if your methods aren't good enough, do let us know. We'll relieve ourselves of them.

[Renegade Knight]

Free Market

The only thing that keeps markets free is regulation. Hate to say it but it's true. There is a balance to maintain. As business buy each other up to 'grow' the marke becomes less and less free.

Plus what free market are some talking about? The free market to be a Wireless Telephone company or the free market to make phones that work on the various wireless telephone companies systems?

The free market has done wonders for my ability to buy a phone to plug into my land line. There really isn't much of a free market for wireless. I can't get the phones I like to work with the carrier I like due to a lack of a free mareket.