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FCC to CTIA: Time To Fix Phone Locking Policies

Nov 14, 2013, 4:28 PM by Eric M. Zeman

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler today filed a letter with the CTIA Wireless Association requesting that it resolve the consumer device unlocking policy issue voluntarily by December. The FCC had previously requested that a new policy be put in place, and specified five provisions it wants to see in the new policy. According to Wheeler, the CTIA and FCC agree on all the provisions except for one. That provision states that carriers must actively notify customers when their devices are eligible to be unlocked, or unlock them automatically without requiring a fee. Wheeler said that it is time to move forward and put matter to rest, lest it be forced to take legal action. "Enough time has passed, and it is now time for the industry to act voluntarily or for the FCC to regulate. Let's set a goal of including the full unlocking rights policy in the CTIA Consumer Code before the December holiday season." The CTIA has yet to respond to Wheeler's letter. The matter isn't entirely up to the CTIA, though willful cooperation by the industry is clearly the route Wheeler prefers. Consumers have been unable to lock phones since a provision of the Digital Millennium Copyrights Act expired in January. At least one bill has been presented before congress seeking to reinstate the provision in order to make phone unlocking legal once more. That bill is awaiting action.

FCC (PDF) »
FCC (PDF) »

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Comments

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

T Bone

Nov 14, 2013, 6:58 PM

Exactly Where

Does the FCC think it gets the authority to regulate phone locking policies? This is so far beyond the scope of the FCC's actual authority that it's ridiculous.

Zpike

Exactly where do legislators think they can get away with pocketing big corporate dollars and trampling our rights at the behest of greedy corporations? You'll never find anyone who hates government regulation of business as much as I do. But even I c...
(continues)

...

dequardo

From federal law.

mr_sparkle