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FCC proposes ending cellphone carrier locks after 60 days (www.theregister.com)

submitted 5 months ago by ForgottenFlux to c/technology

118 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Long-term carrier lock-in could soon be a thing of the past in America after the FCC proposed requiring telcos to unlock cellphones from their networks 60 days after activation.

FCC boss Jessica Rosenworcel put out that proposal on Thursday, saying it would encourage competition between carriers. If subscribers could simply walk off to another telco with their handsets after two months of use, networks would have to do a lot more competing, the FCC reasons.

"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," Rosenworcel said.

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

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

In your circle maybe, I'd love the statistics on this though because I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority are paying for their phones on installment through their carriers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yep. Or quasi installments. They usually make it where your paying like $20 a month on the phone for two years, but they're deducting $20 a month off your monthly service at the same time. That way if you try to break contract, you have to pay for the rest of your phone that you still owe.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Yep. "Free phone" via bill credits for 2 years but they'll proudly proclaim they don't do contracts and there's no ETFs. Technically true, but realistically no difference.