It looks like the trade group representing rural mobile service carriers is running out of patience with the Federal Communications Commission. It has been two years, the Rural Cellular Association complains, since it asked the FCC to investigate the problem of exclusive deals between handset makers and big carriers like AT&T and Verizon.

And it has been over a year since FCC Chair Julius Genachowski assured Senator John Kerry (D-MA) that he'd give the question proper attention. "Yes, if confirmed, I will ensure that the full record on the RCA petition is reviewed, and act accordingly to promote competition and consumer choice," Genachowski declared, even before he formally took the job.

So where, RCA asks, are the results? "Rural consumers are still waiting for access to cutting-edge devices," the group laments.

RCA affiliates hate these AT&T/iPhone or Verizon/Storm deals because they lock them out of being being able to offer the hottest new mobiles to their customers. There's been some back and forth between Verizon and these carriers over the issue, but with uncertain results.

Now RCA says it wants the FCC to turn to Japan for inspiration on this issue. Two weeks ago that country's biggest mobile operator, NTT Docomo, announced that it will unlock the subscriber identity module (SIM) cards on all its handsets starting in April 2011. That means mobile subscribers who request the unlock will be able to use their device with another carrier by switching SIM cards.

It would be consistent

Docomo made the move in response to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which called upon all wireless companies to voluntarily enact the reform.

The FCC making the same request "would be consistent with the pro-competition, light regulatory touch concept that wireless carriers broadly support," the RCA letter contends, and asks the Commission "to take immediate pro-consumer action to end handset exclusivity."

But: "Absent voluntary carrier adoption, RCA encourages the FCC to move forward with a regulatory solution."

Locks and unlocks

As we've suggested, SIM card switching is a one solution for avoiding mobile phone "bill shock" if you're traveling overseas. Just buy a new SIM at your locale to avoid roaming fees.

It isn't like there's a total SIM card lockdown here in the United States. At present, AT&T will let you replace SIM cards on many of its mobiles if you've kept up with your payments for 90 days. But not for the iPhone.

"iPhone cannot be unlocked," the company advises. "Even if you are out of contract" (not that this has stopped a gazillion people from posting iPhone SIM card switching tutorials on YouTube).

T-Mobile says it will approve unlock requests after 40 days.

Go ubiquitous

And it isn't like the FCC has done nothing about the exclusive handset issue, examining various arrangements, especially the AT&T/iPhone deal. And in August of last year, the agency launched a far-reaching investigation of competition in the wireless industry.

But thus far that probe appears to be in the, well, early investigative stages of its development, prompting RCA to ask the government to get on the ball.

"To achieve its goal of ubiquitous broadband throughout the US, the FCC should encourage US wireless carriers to provide US consumers with the same competitive choices that Japanese consumers soon will have," RCA's missive concludes.

Listing image by Image CC Alisdair McDiarmid