On Friday the United States House of Representatives passed legislation legalizing cell phone unlocking. They voted unanimously in favor of the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. This act was approved by the Senate last week, so the only step left is presidential approval. Obama supports making cell phone unlocking legal, and has pledged to sign this bill into law.
Cell phone unlocking was legal until January 2013, when an exception in the DMCA expired. This restricted U.S. customers from moving service to other carriers, or being able to use local SIM cards when taking their devices abroad. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act came as a result of a “We the People petition” calling for cell phone unlocking to be made legal again.
This bill will allow consumers and third-party services to unlock cell phones and tablets without asking for permission from carriers. However early termination fees of any contract will still apply.
