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

submitted 4 months ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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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[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 58 points 4 months ago (28 children)

In the US, almost no one buys their phones outright. They "lease to own". Anyone whe does buy their phone outright can just buy the unlocked ones.

So I'm not sure what this rule would actually change. You're already not Carrier locked if you bought your phone. You're only Carrier locked if you lease it.

The big fuck up was eliminating competition by allowing t mobile to buy sprint. Too many pieces of shit were in charge 2016 to 2020.

[–] RedEyeFlightControl@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Not always true, I bought a smart talk phone for my kid and the phone was paid in full at the time of purchase. It's still carrier locked 5 years later because they say "it wasn't in service for x amount of time and therefore isn't eligible". I even reported this to the FCC, opened a case, and they did fuckall and closed the report.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Did you have it active for 2 years? I've never had an issue before. Only done it like twice, though.

[–] RedEyeFlightControl@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

It was active for about 3 months, until she broke the screen. I replaced her device and put the phone on the shelf. I replaced the screen and digitizer a year later when I needed a spare handset and they told me "it had never been on network" and was ineligible for being unlocked. Which is bullshit because the phone was bought and paid for at the time I purchased it in a box at the store with a prepaid card. As far as I'm concerned, straight talk still owes me 200$. Even if the phone was NEVER activated, I still own it outright, making it mine to do with what I please.

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