Friday, Barack Obama signed a bipartisan bill known as the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act which aims to make it easier for consumers to unlock their cell phones from their service providers without paying for a new phone.
Previously, service providers aimed to keep users from unlocking these cell phones, such as when traveling, and the companies had the final say in whether or not you could unlock your phone. “The bill Congress passed today is another step toward giving ordinary Americans more flexibility and choice so they can find a cell phone carrier that meets their needs and their budget,” President Obama said in a statement last week.
CBS News reports state Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., sponsored the act, which easily sailed through Congress last week. Mr. Obama has been a longtime supporter of the act, especially after a White House petition asking the president to “champion a bill that makes unlocking permanently legal” garnered over 114,000 signatures. An online response to the petition from the Administration states that the White House not only agrees with the petitioners but also supports unlocking other portable devices, like tablets.
Although this was a huge win for people’s phone rights, the law does not yet permanently end the debate around unlocking. The Library of Congress will have to reconsider the rule in 2015 and every three years after that unless Congress takes further action. There’s already movement on a bill that would set the rule in stone, but it’s unclear when or if that would pass.
What do you think about Obama Signing this bill? Do you think service providers should have a final say in unlocking your phone? Let us know in the comments below!