Yes, government's definitely the answer here. Once the government forces Apple to open iMessage, then competitors (RCS, Signal, Telegraph, etc.) can all just die in peace, making life simpler for everyone.
> as amazing as the other competitors in the marketplace
Do you mean worse?
if you can install whatever app you please without asking permission, you would have a better platform.
(I would love to firewall my phone - especially against apple)
That's contingent on how Apple implements the features. When Apple works with standards and local computing, we get great user-respecting software like the OG iTunes and QuickTime. When Apple works against standards and local computing, we get headscratchers like Apple Music and AppleTV.