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House Passes Weakened Phone Unlocking Bill

Feb 26, 2014, 6:21 AM by Eric M. Zeman

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that will make it legal once again for consumers to unlock their devices. The passage is a muted victory, however, because language was added to the bill that weakens it. "The new language specifically excluding bulk unlocking could indicate that the drafters believe that phone unlocking has something to do with copyright law," said Public Knowledge. "Consumers should be able to unlock their phones without fear of liability, and for many of them, this bill will restore that ability. But as it stands, H.R. 1123 represents the need for further change to the DMCA, as represented in HR 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act sponsored by Rep. Zoe Lofgren." It is unknown if the Senate will consider the bill. Separately, the NTIA and the FCC have mandated that wireless network operators make it easier for consumers to unlock their devices. The largest carriers plan to implement several unlocking policies beginning in March, with other policies to fall into place throughout the rest of the year.

Reuters »

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Comments

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This forum is closed.

thebriang

Feb 26, 2014, 1:42 PM

I'll keep holding my breath

The companies dont want to unlock phones and won't, it doesn't matter what the law says. ATT has like a quarter billion phones out there, and you can legally purchase a used phone that's completed its year contract and they still won't unlock it. Just give you a BS run around about how you need to open a linen of service with them and have the phone on your account for such and such period and Then they Might unlock it.

They say its because there's such a selection of unlocked phones out there but that's a lie too, what store can i walk into and just buy an unlocked device that isn't a $600 exclusive edition but can actually use our bands?

So yeah, I'll keep holding my breath for the carriers to stop forcing me to break the law to unlo...
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Slammer

I've been saying for many years that the industry is trying to take complete control of the consumer. The phone has become a necessary evil and the industry acknowledges this. After many years of being a consumer of the wireless industry and observing...
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