News: It's Now Completely Legal to Unlock Your Cell PhonePresident Obama Signs Bill
Update: August 1, 2014Earlier today, President Obama signed into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, making the act of unlocking your unsubsidized cell phone 100% legal.According to the White House, "the bill not only restores the rights of consumers to unlock their phones, but ensures that they can receive help doing so if they lack the technological savvy to unlock on their own."Chalk this one as a major victory for consumers, and one of the now seemingly rare cases of our government coming together for the good of the people.End UpdateBeginning early last year, fed-up consumers started a petition on WhiteHouse.gov to bring the freedom to unlock back to those who have paid for devices and want to take them to other carriers.While this may have seemed like a no-brainer freedom, the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress reversed a previous allowance of this practiceĆ¢€”going against advice from the White House (in the form of a NTIA letter)Ć¢€”citing the current "ease" of unlocking phones.That reasoning completely missed the mark, and if you've tried to take a device from one carrier to another in the past, you know just how difficult it can be. Luckily for us, the White House was always on our side, and with the help of Congress, we're now close to having unhindered unlocking a reality.Senator Patrick Leahy was our champion in Congress, and now both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act."I thank the House for moving so quickly on the bill we passed in the Senate last week and for working in a bipartisan way to support consumers. The bipartisan Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act puts consumers first, promotes competition in the wireless phone marketplace, and encourages continued use of existing devices," Leahy said.Only thing left is for President Obama to sign his support for the bill, which will happen in short order. As the President stated, "The bill Congress passed today is another step toward giving ordinary Americans more flexibility and choice, so that they can find a cell phone carrier that meets their needs and their budget. I commend Chairmen Leahy and Goodlatte, and Ranking Members Grassley and Conyers for their leadership on this important consumer issue and look forward to signing this bill into law."One thing to keep in mind is that this legislation in no way will get you out of your carrier's contract, at least not without an early termination fee. But for those who are out of contract or paid the full, unsubsidized price for a device, you'll now have the freedom, and Congressional and Executive backing, to take that device to whichever carrier you prefer.
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Earlier today, President Obama signed into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, making the act of unlocking your unsubsidized cell phone 100% legal. According to the White House , "the bill not only restores the rights of consumers to unlock their phones, but ensures that they can receive help doing so if they lack
Obama signs bill "unlocking" cell phones - CBS News
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Obama Signs Cell Phone Unlocking Bill Into Law, iPhone
United States President Barack Obama will today sign a bill that makes cell phone unlocking legal again, writing the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act into law following its
President signs cell phone unlocking bill into law - CNET
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Mobile President signs cell phone unlocking bill into law. Obama signs a bill into law that makes unlocking a cell phone legal again, making it easier for some consumers to take their phones with
The right to unlock your cellphone became law on Friday as President Barack Obama signed a bill that rapidly passed both houses of the U.S. Congress. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless
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A landmark bill finally went into action this week that will allow American cellular customers to unlock their smartphones for free. The process of unlocking may vary between mobile service providers, but you can rest assured that you are now entitled, by law, to carrier-unlock your smartphone
Obama signs cellphone unlocking bill | Computerworld
Obama signs bill "unlocking" cell phones that said it was illegal for consumers to "unlock" their cell phones for use on other networks cell phone unlocking is legal does not mean it will
Obama signs cell phone unlocking bill; It is now officially
2 Responses to "Obama signs cell phone unlocking bill; It is now officially legal to unlock your phone" frank August 2, 2014 i do not really see what has changed, the carriers have always help unlock phones that are out of contract. the new law requires that the contract be fulfilled.
How To: Unlock Your Smartphone on Any U.S. Carrier for Free
It's Now Completely Legal to Unlock Your Cell Phone—President
News: It's Now Completely Legal to Unlock Your Cell Phone—President Obama Signs Bill News: Essential Phone Comes with an LED Notification Light — And It Better for That Price How To: The Easiest Way to Unlock the Bootloader on Your HTC EVO 4G LTE or Other HTC Smartphone
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