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Bring Your Own Phone

Public Knowledge is a Washington DC based public interest group working to defend your rights in the emerging digital culture. More about PK »

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In early December, we told you about our Bring Your Own Phone Campaign. The idea is that you should be able to use your cell phone and mobile applications of choice on any compatible wireless network. Our campaign launched with a bang! We demanded that the FCC prohibit wireless phone companies from blocking text messages that their subscribers ask to receive. Public pressure will make sure everyone knows that text message blocking is unacceptable.

We have more planned in 2008, but we need your end-of-the-year support. You can make a tax-deductible donation to support the campaign here:

Donations made by December 31st, 2007 can be deducted from your 2007 income taxes.

Pick a Network

Thanks to our work with like-minded public interest and industry groups, the wireless phone companies are starting to talk about making it easier for you buy your phone from somewhere else and do more things with it. Recent news about the wireless market sounds encouraging: T-Mobile and Sprint have signed onto Google’s plan to loosen the bonds of closed cell phone software; Verizon Wireless is making plans to allow third-party devices and applications on its network; and now AT&T claims to have always been open to compatible phones on its network.

But these plans are coming under fire. Critics and experts are finding loopholes and limitations. We want to make sure these companies follow through so that consumers like you have access to a competitive and open wireless phone market. If history is any guide, we need to keep these companies honest to make sure that we have unrestrained competition. We have a few things in mind and we’re going to need your support:

  • Launching a petition drive for wireless phone customers who want to use their phone on any compatible network;

  • Keeping the pressure on the FCC to set rules prohibiting wireless phone companies from blocking text messages and engaging in unreasonable discrimination;

  • Filing a consumer complaint at the FCC, asking it to require wireless phone companies to give consumers control over their phones and the applications that run on them; and

  • Educating policy makers about, and advocating for, the full “open access” policies in the U.S. that have lead to competition, choice, and value overseas;

  • Working with key industry players and our public interest allies to ensure that wireless phone companies and phone manufacturers follow through on recent announcements to allow any device to work on any wireless network. Wireless companies must provide real openness and not hide behind loopholes.

If you’re a wireless subscriber and would like to benefit from more market competition, please show your support for PK’s Bring Your Own Phone Campaign by making an end-of-the-year contribution now! Make your tax-deductible donation online here:

Thank you for your continued support for Public Knowledge!
-- Gigi, Art, Alex, Scott, Sherwin, Rashmi, Whitney and Jef.

P.S. — The Bring Your Own Phone Campaign is just one of the many issues PK continues to work on. Next year we are also going to fight back against Internet filtering and push to promote our Six-Point Program for Copyright Reform. We are going to need all the help we can get. Stay tuned!

Public Knowledge is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization and contributions made to PK are tax-deductible.