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

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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] 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.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 months ago (13 children)

I know lots of Americans who buy their phones without those stupid contracts. It's not uncommon at all. I have never have a phone on a contract.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (3 children)

I've had a couple. The issue is that you don't save any money on their service if you have your own. So it's basically "you can pay us $70 a month and buy your phone yourself, or you can pay us $70 a month and have this phone under contract for two years that we'll give you."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Never heard of an MVNO huh? I bought my phones outright and have enjoyed having 4 lines for $105/mo.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I have cell tower priority, unlimited data, and 40GB hotspot per month.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Strangely, if I see internet deprioritized on 5G (which is rare), I switch my settings to 4G and it’s blazing fast. So I’ve never had a problem.

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