AT&T Apple iPhone Exclusivity and U.S. Department of Justice

There are reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has begun a preliminary inquiry into what The Wall Street Journal calls potential anti-competitive practices by a few of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S. One of the largest investigations is the exclusivity contracts that exist between Apple and AT&T.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department are looking into whether the wireless carriers are hurting their smaller competitors, as they are locking up the most popular handsets on the market through these unpopular exclusive agreements.

Over the past few weeks, U.S. lawmakers and regulators have raised a number of questions about AT&T’s exclusive deal with Apple and its ever-popular iPhone. Both AT&T and Verizon is thought to be the hardest hit under this investigation, Mac Rumors reports that both carriers control about 60% of the U.S. wireless market.