FCC wants telecom carriers to unlock cell phones 60 days after activation • Registry

Long-term carrier locking may soon become a thing of the past in America after the FCC proposed requiring telecom carriers to unlock cell phones on their networks 60 days after activation.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel unveiled the proposal Thursday, saying it would encourage competition among carriers. If subscribers could simply switch phones to another carrier after two months of use, networks would have to compete much harder, the FCC argues.

“When you buy a phone, you should have the freedom to decide when to switch to the carrier you want, rather than having a device that is locked into practices that prevent you from making that choice,” Rosenworcel said.

Carrier-locked devices contain software mechanisms that prevent them from being used on other providers’ networks, a practice that has long been criticized for being anti-consumer.

Locked phones can’t be used on another carrier without authorization (or bypassing these mechanisms in some way), which is usually written into the contract. Unlocking devices isn’t designed to be an easy process either, since most carriers are probably counting on the customer simply signing a new contract rather than moving on to someone else.

The U.S. should have laws to make it easier to unlock devices, but the nonprofit group Public Knowledge says they are ineffective. In 2022, the group asked regulators to investigate carrier unlocking programs to make sure they are fair.

It’s conceivable that carriers will oppose this 60-day requirement, and the FCC is opening a public comment period after voting on the issue at its July 18 open meeting. The regulator said it not only wants to get people’s comments on its two-month unlock plan, but also wants to get views on the various ways this change could affect operators.

The commission will seek industry comment on whether the 60-day unlock requirement should be applied retroactively to existing contracts, as well as how the unlock requirement could affect “service providers’ incentives to offer discounted phones as part of prepaid and postpaid service plans.” The FCC also wants to know how the unlock requirement could benefit smaller providers, new entrants, and resellers by expanding the secondary market.

Contrary to expectations, not all carriers are completely opposed to the FCC’s idea of ​​unlocking cell phones.

“Verizon agrees that the FCC should consider the pros and cons of requiring cellphone unlocking,” Verizon spokesman Rich Young said. Registeralthough this support is conditional.

“The goal should be to find an industry-wide solution to this problem, rather than continuing to pursue an increasingly fragmented and unbalanced approach to regulation,” Young added.

We have also contacted the FCC, AT&T and T-Mobile US for further comment. ®