Skype tries to kick sand into cellcos' gears

For a company that's says wireless VoIP is way harder to do than it expected, Skype is sure finding ways to upset the mobile order of things. The eBay subsidiary is asking the FCC to force mobile operators to liberalize their rules about what hardware and software can be connected to their networks. Cellcos notoriously rigorous about the apps and phones they'll allow on their air, claiming the wrong thing will screw up service to everyone. Skype is rallying behind the flag of net neutrality, but old-timers will recognize a much older precedent. Anyone else remember Carterfone? That was the 1968 decree that let AT&T's customers connect their own equipment to the Bell System network. Previously, only Bell-issued gear was allowed; it was a straight line from Carterfone to the 1982 Computer II decision that unbundled service and equipment and 1984's Divestiture. But if you think that Skype will make quick progress with the feds remember this: the Carterfone case started in 1956, and took 12 years to resolve.

For more about Skype and the mobile net:
- read this Fortune.com blog entry

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