Mobile carriers have long sold smartphones that are locked to their networks, but the Federal Communications Commission is now considering rules to limit the practice. On Thursday, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel proposed rules to require cellular providers “to unlock customers’ mobile phones within 60 days of activation.”The FCC hasn’t released the exact text of the proposal. But the goal is to let consumers “switch from one mobile wireless service provider to another more easily, as long as the consumer’s phone is compatible with the new provider’s wireless network,” the Commission says.In a statement, Rosenworcel also described the proposal as creating “clear, nationwide mobile phone unlocking rules.””When you buy a phone, you should have the freedom to decide when to change service to the carrier you want and not have the device you own stuck by practices that prevent you from making that choice,” she added. The proposal is bound to face resistance from carriers, which usually implement the locking requirements to ensure customers don’t jump ship after receiving a deal on a smartphone or service plan. “In many instances, devices are sold with subsidies (or discounts) in exchange for a required service plan commitment, often months or years in length, or pursuant to a device financing plan” as the FCC notes on its website.Still, some users on social media have complained that carriers make it annoyingly difficult to unlock a phone, even after fulfilling terms of the deal. This had led some consumers to file complaints with the FCC. A nationwide unlocking rule could make things easier by freeing all applicable phones within 60 days.
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The Commission will vote on the proposal during its open meeting on July 18. If approved, that will kick off a public comment period asking interested parties to weigh in on the idea, including whether the unlocking should apply to existing and future contracts. The FCC added: “It also seeks comment on the impact of a 60-day unlocking requirement in connection with service providers’ incentives to offer discounted phones for postpaid and prepaid service plans, as well as whether an unlocking requirement would benefit smaller providers, new entrants, and resellers by increasing the number of phones available on the secondary market.”After the public comment period, the FCC would develop a finalized version of the unlocking rules, which will receive another round of public comments before a final vote.
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