I gotta say, the new hardware from OpenMoko looks really sweet. Its got a faster processor, 128MB of RAM, WiFi, what else do you need?
Although the hardware is very tempting, I'm doubtful the phone will appear anywhere stateside anytime soon. My guess is that it will flourish in areas where the telecom market isn't a fat cow being milked for all its worth while stagnating innovation. Can you tell I'm bitter?
In my humble opinion, regulation is useful for some things, and free market economies are good for others, but that the two don't mix. I actually don't know too much about how all that stuff works, but the fact that healthcare, airlines, and telecom companies spend mega bucks on lobbying smells pretty fishy if you ask me. But what do I know, I'm just a lowly small business operator?