Just yesterday I wrote about how well AT&T is doing these days thanks to its exclusive deal with Apple to sell the hugely popular iPhone. Well the members of the Rural Cellular Association don’t like that very much and have filed a petition with the FCC to ban the practice of exclusive contracts. The RCA claims that exclusive contacts are anti-competitive and discriminatory against rural users. The petition goes on to say that the iPhone isn’t available to rural users in 16 states because AT&T doesn’t sell service in those areas. While AT&T does offer nationwide roaming, it does not allow subscribers to spend more then 40% of their air minutes roaming. This makes AT&T service, and therefore the iPhone, impossible for many rural residents that are out of AT&T's direct foot print.
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