New FCC Chairman Wants Carriers to Unlock Cell Phones, And Wants It Done Now

People much smarter than me decided back in January of this year that it should be illegal to unlock your cell phone. They passed a law so that if you unlocked your phone via “unofficial” means, you faced up to five years in jail, even if you payed off your contract(or ETF) and owned the device. You were at the mercy of the carrier. If they chose not to unlock it, then you were stuck with a phone that you could only use on the original carrier even though you were out of contract. It often happened with carrier “exclusive” phones, and was just another way to keep you tied to the same carrier. Now the chairman of the FCC wants that to change. He wants you to be able to unlock your cell phone after you have paid off the subsidy on it, and he wants this change to happen by December. In his letter to the CTIA, he states the the new unlock policy must have these five parts:

1) provide a clear, concise, and readily accessible policy on unlocking

2) unlock mobile wireless devices for customers, former customers, and legitimate owners when the applicable service contract, installment plan, or ETF has been fulfilled

3) affirmatively notify customers when their devices are eligible for unlocking and/or automatically unlock devices when eligible, without an additional fee

4) process unlocking requests or provide an explanation of denial within two business days

5) unlock devices for military personnel upon deployment.

This is a great step in the consumer’s favor. It is acceptable to be tied to a contract when a carrier gives you a $800 phone for $1; but after the term of your contract, the carrier has recouped their initial investment and you should now “own” your phone and therefore be able to take it to any carrier you choose. Lets hope this is approved without the FCC having to force it’s hand, either way it looks like it will happen, it is just a matter of how long it takes to happen. Unlocked phones for everyone this Christmas!

Via: Android Authority

Source: FCC

Image Source: FCC.gov