Why won’t the government let you “unlock” your phone?
Suppose you’re upset with your cell-phone carrier, and you’d like to switch. Under current law, you can take your phone number with you when you leave. But if you want to take your phone? Forget it.
Ever since an obscure rule protecting the process of “unlocking” expired from copyright law last month, it’s been illegal to port your device to another carrier. In fact, any American who’s ever unlocked his or her phone is now at risk for steep fines, court battles with carriers, and even jail time.
But a team of copyright activists has been lobbying the government to keep unlocking legal. And early Thursday morning, they won a small victory: Their petition to the White House finally accumulated 100,000 signatures, meaning it must now be met with an official government response. …
In particular, the petition requests that President Obama ask the Library of Congress to reconsider its stance on unlocking–and if that doesn’t work, to press Congress for legislative action. An ideal bill would protect four activities, Khanna told me: adaptive technology for the blind, such as the kind that scans books and handwriting into text computers can display; backing up DVDs to your computer; jail-breaking your phone so that you can modify it beyond the manufacturer’s preferred limits; and unlocking.
Blowback
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Why? Because it’s a kickback to the companies who donated huge hunks of money to obama and company.
Blake on February 22, 2013 at 10:40 AM
There are ways and means to do it without blowback. If you know what I mean.
tommy71 on February 22, 2013 at 10:43 AM
As I understand it, CDMA phones often require other special configuring/programming to get all the features to work on a phone from another carrier. Most smaller CDMA carriers are willing to bring you in the door with your Verizon phone than the other way around, however.
GSM unlocked is really only good for switching between carriers for voice. The technology is plug-and-play but few phones have bands for 3G and 4G data speeds for both AT&T and T-Mobile. Most newer unlocked Nokia phones will get you 3G on both, as well as Google’s latest Nexus phones 3G/”4G”. 4G LTE bands you can only get on carrier-specific models.
crrr6 on February 22, 2013 at 10:45 AM
The White House doesn’t make law. WHy would anyone petition the White House for legislation? This is why the whole idiotic White House petition thing is so un-American and stupid. If people want laws made or changed they need to petition the legislators who actually are charged with doing that sort of stuff. We are not some demented, unlimited, centralized power Euro-style party-oriented democracy (well … we’re not supposed to be, though the American Socialist Superstate that people seem to be very comfortable with is certainly not the Constitutional Republic that America was defined as).
The fact that people don’t recognize how un-American and perverted this whole White House petition cr@p is is a pathetic comment on our society, in and of itself. They like the idea of pleading with the Emperor for some crumbs … great.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 22, 2013 at 10:46 AM
Interferes with government tracking?
BL@KBIRD on February 22, 2013 at 10:47 AM
I unlocked my ObamaPhone. Am I going to jail?
steebo77 on February 22, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Stupid. If I own the product let me use the provider I choose.
What next, I can only fill up my car at certain gas stations, or only use certain manufacturer’s ammo in my guns (not that I have any guns, they’ve all been shredded).
Bishop on February 22, 2013 at 10:54 AM
A lot of the reason is they give the darn things away. They want you staying on your contract so they can recoup the cost. I don’t see why they need the force of law on this – simply write it into the contract.
GWB on February 22, 2013 at 10:57 AM
The car manufacturer can require that you use “factory parts” if you want to maintain you warranty. I seem to recall a manufacturer or dealer requiring you to only use gas from a certain vendor way back when. The only reason it got shot down was because it required collusion, and the anti-trust laws kicked in.
GWB on February 22, 2013 at 10:59 AM
I’m ok with that as long as everything is explained up front, and I can then choose my car accordingly. The market would respond by offering cars which don’t have such restrictions.
If the cell service vendors want to cancel any warranty coverage on my phone if I unlock it, hey works for me.
Bishop on February 22, 2013 at 11:07 AM
BINGO
EXACTLY. Let me choose.
Badger40 on February 22, 2013 at 11:11 AM
The market DOES provide for this. They’re called Nexus phones and they come unlocked from the factory. All you have to do is walk up to your T-mo or AT&T store and get a simcard and you’re set.
The added benefit is that the Nexus phone is usually one of the best phones on the market, gets software updates as soon as they’re available from Google, and they are very inexpensive AND you don’t have to be locked into a stupid carrier contract!
As soon as my verizon contract expires I’m ordering the Nexus that’s available at the time and saying bon-voyage to ridiculous cell phone bills. $30/mo for unlimited text and data with 100 minutes of voice which is fine, since I’ll use Google voice which uses the unlimited data and not the voice minutes – and I can stop or modify that plan anytime I want.
It will be glorious.
Here’s a link to buy a Nexus 4. https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_16gb
Defenestratus on February 22, 2013 at 11:23 AM
I am confused so would someone enlighten me. If a phone is off contract are the proposing to prohibit changing the settings of the phone. I know out right purchase allows that and in contract is bound by the contract or at least should be. I am reading comments which seem to be taking both sides.
CW20 on February 22, 2013 at 11:23 AM
The phones are subsidized, but you basically take out a mortgage when you sign a contract, and pay off the device over time. T-Mobile allows you to bring unlocked phones (GSM) over from other carriers, and charge a lower monthly rate. They’ve been talking about dropping subsidies, and charging customers full price for phones, in exchange for dropping plan rates. In come countries (like India), phones aren’t subsidized.
Ward Cleaver on February 22, 2013 at 11:26 AM
Most of the companies already have this in the contract. For at least ATT and Verizon, if you sign the 2-year contract to get the discounted/free phone, your contract has a clause saying if you cancel the contract early, you’ll have to pay X amount back.
I once paid $120 to get out of a contract with Verizon 6 months early. Worth EVERY dime!
JadeNYU on February 22, 2013 at 11:26 AM
See the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson%E2%80%93Moss_Warranty_Act
Ward Cleaver on February 22, 2013 at 11:29 AM
How do you avoid the contract, and get unlimited data and text for $30? Is that with one of the pre-paid companies?
samuelrylander on February 22, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Who cares what the government allows? If I buy a phone, I can and will do whatever I please with it. If I want to throw it in a lake, I will, if I want to unlock it or jailbreak it, it’s no ones business but my own. It’s MY phone, but AT&Ts. that’s about all I have to say on this subject./
Timin203 on February 22, 2013 at 1:31 PM
LOL – you mean like the “official responses” we got on Fast And Furious and Benghazi?
LMFAO!!
HondaV65 on February 22, 2013 at 1:41 PM