The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company Qualcomm with unfair competitive practice stemming from the company’s use of its “unlawful monopoly in baseband processors” to engage in “exclusionary conduct” that taxes its competitors’ baseband processor sales, reducing their ability to innovate, and raising prices paid by consumers for cell phones and tablets.

The FTC alleges that Qualcomm entered into exclusive arrangements with Apple Inc. in which it basically gave the company favorable conditions in the form of reduced royalties to enable it supply the baseband chips for all iPhones from 2011 to 2016. Other allegations are contained in the text of the lawsuit filed by the FTC.

Qualcomm Corp. Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs has said the company was in discussions with the FTC when it “rushed out” the complaint.