The bill sounds good in theory but I'm not sure how much it would benefit consumers. Major carriers already sell plans that do not require a contract--they are sold under names likes Prepay, Pay as You Go, or FlexPay.
And I'm not sure why you would want to eliminate the subsidies. The subsidies actually REDUCE the price of the phone to the consumer. For example, you can buy a BlackBerry Pearl for $270 from NewEgg or you can get one for $99 from T-Mobile or AT&T when you sign up for a 2-year contract. That is a real savings of $170, which is a subsidy that favors the consumer.
But, if the phone is "open" in this context, more of a given device can be sold and used across carriers. Thus, a high-demand unit can generate more volume and drop in price anyway.
We would probably still have the current system, but call them "bundles" with a discounted phone and plan, rather than it being a necessary evil to get better phones and/or service options.
tell me again why I want more people to have cell phones? Another thing I dont need: seeing more assholes on their bluetooth headsets looking like schizophrenics talking to themselves
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeremy B @ Feb 27th 2008 4:24PM
The bill sounds good in theory but I'm not sure how much it would benefit consumers. Major carriers already sell plans that do not require a contract--they are sold under names likes Prepay, Pay as You Go, or FlexPay.
And I'm not sure why you would want to eliminate the subsidies. The subsidies actually REDUCE the price of the phone to the consumer. For example, you can buy a BlackBerry Pearl for $270 from NewEgg or you can get one for $99 from T-Mobile or AT&T when you sign up for a 2-year contract. That is a real savings of $170, which is a subsidy that favors the consumer.
Student Driver @ Feb 27th 2008 4:37PM
But, if the phone is "open" in this context, more of a given device can be sold and used across carriers. Thus, a high-demand unit can generate more volume and drop in price anyway.
We would probably still have the current system, but call them "bundles" with a discounted phone and plan, rather than it being a necessary evil to get better phones and/or service options.
Dave @ Feb 27th 2008 8:53PM
tell me again why I want more people to have cell phones? Another thing I dont need: seeing more assholes on their bluetooth headsets looking like schizophrenics talking to themselves