FCC to look at markets without iPhone service

As part of its ongoing probe into cellular operators and phone exclusivity deals, the Federal Communicaitons Commission will focus on areas where the iPhone and/or Palm Pre aren’t available. “There are markets in the country where if you wanted an iPhone, if you wanted a Pre, you just couldn’t get it—from anyone,” FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in an interview with Bloomberg. “So one question is, is that consistent with broad consumer interests?” He declined to say what the next steps will be in the investigation, which was spurred on by a letter from four U.S. senators asking the regulatory body to review exclusivity agreements like the one between Apple and AT&T that keeps the iPhone locked to one domestic carrier. An AT&T executive told a June 17 hearing the deals spur innovation and help lower prices, while Verizon recently sent a letter to a U.S. representative announcing that it would offer any exclusive phone to carriers with less than 500,000 subscribers just six months after launch. [via AppleInsider]