Many companies and public interest groups want cellular carriers to open their networks to any device or web application. They contend that Carrier restrictions are choking innovation and consumer choice, stalling the next big round in wireless growth. eBay's Skype division has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that asks regulators to halt the practice of carriers control over which devices and applications are used on their networks. Skype also requested that the FCC oversee an industry group that could create open standards for wireless networks. Two public interest groups are on the same page, and a Taiwan-based handset maker is making plans to release a cellphone that is based on open source software. The handset maker would like to sell the software independently without carriers. U.S. carriers have been restricting their networks to carrier-approved handsets and applications from the carriers. Carriers often require that the handsets have specific abilities that lock out other networks. Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu, in his blog, says wireless carriers aggressively control product design and innovation... to the detriment of consumers. Among topics covered is a synopsis of what some carriers reportedly require and the position described by Skype (which wants to give users the ability to use our software on the mobile Internet, says Chris Libertelli). For instance, Skypes petition alleges that Cingular forced Nokia to strip Wi-Fi abilities from its European E62/E61 smartphones before they could be used on the carrier's U.S. network.