The FCC will be issuing a rule that cell phone network providers must unlock phones from their network within 60 days of activation.
There are already any number of rules and industry standards that theoretically require the telcos unlock phones, but they are complex and confusing enough that they can delay unlocking the phone forever.
To be fair, it was a 5-0 vote, but it would never have come up with a 'Phant FCC chair:
With a unanimous 5-0 vote, the FCC says it is moving forward with plans that should make unlocking your mobile phone easier than ever. According to a new FCC announcement, the agency say it will begin crafting new rules that will require that wireless carriers unlock customers’ mobile phones within 60 days of activation.
At various times unlocking your phone was deemed downright illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Things have eased some over the years; very often it’s now possible to unlock your device and change carriers if your phone is paid off and you’re no longer under contract.
But the FCC noted that the current guidelines surrounding unlocking are a mish mash of voluntary industry standards and more stringent unlocking requirements usually affixed to either merger conditions or the use of certain spectrum. The new rules should create some uniformity, and the FCC is contemplating whether they should even apply to users still under contract with their wireless carrier.
Why stuff like this is not being aggressively showcased to the voter as a reason to support Democrats is beyond me.
It's good policy and good politics.
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