FCC Votes To Make Phone Unlocking Easier
from the freedom-of-choice dept
With a unanimous 5-0 vote, the FCC says it is moving forward with plans that should make unlocking your mobile phone easier than ever. According to a new FCC announcement, the agency say it will begin crafting new rules that will require that wireless carriers unlock customers’ mobile phones within 60
days of activation.
At various times unlocking your phone was deemed downright illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Things have eased some over the years; very often it’s now possible to unlock your device and change carriers if your phone is paid off and you’re no longer under contract.
But the FCC noted that the current guidelines surrounding unlocking are a mish mash of voluntary industry standards and more stringent unlocking requirements usually affixed to either merger conditions or the use of certain spectrum. The new rules should create some uniformity, and the FCC is contemplating whether they should even apply to users still under contract with their wireless carrier.
“You bought your phone, you should be able to take it to any provider you want,” Biden FCC boss Jessica Rosenworcel said in an announcement. “Some providers already operate this way. Others do not. In fact, some have recently increased the time their customers must wait until they can unlock their device by as much as 100 percent.”
The FCC’s Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) specifically singles out T-Mobile’s prepaid brand Metro, which the agency notes recently extended the number of days that users must wait to unlock their phone from 185 days to 365 days. As we’ve noted previously, T-Mobile lost most of its competitive spirit as a result of the 2020 merger with Sprint.
The wireless industry only appears to have a few complaints about the order, suggesting it won’t be that dramatic of a shift for the industry. The industry already had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of an era where it not only tried to lock down devices, but tried to block consumer choice as it pertains to apps, software and services (remember when Verizon wouldn’t let you use competing GPS apps?).
Chiseling away at the draconian DMCA as well as merger and spectrum purchase conditions already did most of the heavy lifting, and if the FCC’s rules are well crafted, they should help finish the job.
Filed Under: cellular, fcc, jessica rosenworcel, mobile, telecom, unlocking, wireless
Comments on “FCC Votes To Make Phone Unlocking Easier”
Don't worry!
5th circuit will block this in no time flat as an unnecessary government burden on business.
Re:
Either them or the Supremes (and I’m NOT talking about Diana Ross!).
They should really address used phones that are re-sold.
Re:
What about them?
I think it would be a good idea to make phone-sellers actually tell people the price. Stores such as Best Buy have bullshit labels like “$0” on everything, but they’re not actually willing to part with the phones for nothing. So, people don’t necessarily even know exactly when they’ll own the phone, what the effective interest rate on the loan is/was, or how much they’re over-paying for service by keeping an old phone.
Only if the FTC truly forces phone makers (and their partners, the carriers) to fully unlock a phone (as in, when Android says “You’re now a developer”, but you can’t delete the crap, let alone load a different OS), will this rule have any value. Being able to switch carriers is child’s play, and making it any easier is just wasting time and other resources.
If only they would force phone number unlocking and transfers now. Had a friend who had a mobile number he used for 20 years just recently have to get another one because he moved and the new place doesn’t have any signal for the service he was using. But they wouldn’t release his phone number so he had to get a new one! Talk about a mess.
Re:
OP just above you here, the one bitching about the word ‘unlock’
About 2 years ago I had the same problem as your friend. A short-and-sweet note to the FCC brought some attention from the carrier in less than a week. Only then did they explain in simpleton terms exactly what I needed to do to make the switch, and it all went according to Hoyle.
Moral of the story is this: Once in a great while the government will listen to the peons, and then do its job. Who knows, your friend might get lucky too.
FCC votes ...
Well the FCC can take as many votes as it likes. This is going to court and the FCC doesn’t stand a chance.