Sen. John Kerry held a hearing this week in which he asked for the public's thoughts on the current locked-down state of the wireless industry. In a post on SavetheInternet.com, he wrote:

...nine of the most popular ten phones are locked in a deal with one of these big wireless carriers, and are only available through one network.

What does that mean for consumers? It means if you want to buy an iPhone, you've got to subscribe to AT&T. If you want a Blackberry Storm, you've got to be a Verizon customer. And if you live in rural America, you're probably using whatever phones are not locked up in an exclusive contract rather than the newest technology.

Sen. Kerry's pointed critique of what's known in the wireless industry as "handset exclusivity" caught the ear of at least one person in power, Acting FCC Chair Michael Copps.

In short, Copps agrees that handset exclusivity is an important issue for consumers:

We should open a proceeding to closely examine wireless handset exclusivity arrangements ... and I have instructed the Bureau to begin crafting such an item. The Commission as the expert agency should determine whether some of these arrangements adversely restrict consumer choice or harm the development of innovative devices, and it should take appropriate action if it finds harm.

The key phrase here is "adversely restrict consumer choice." One thing the wireless carriers all have in common is that they, by design, "adversely restrict consumer choice."

It's time to open up the wireless Internet. Let's start by positively affecting consumer choice -- and all of the innovation that comes with it -- by unlocking mobile devices for use on any network, anywhere.