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US: Unlocking your smartphones: how will wireless cos respond?

By  |  March 4, 2013

The White House has come out in support of legalizing the practice of “unlocking” smartphones, meaning consumers can use their smartphone on any network, noting that its legalization is “common sense” and vital to ensure “the vibrant, competitive wireless market” in the nation. The remarks were made by R. David Edelman, a White House senior advisor. The White House’s support comes weeks after the Digital Millennium Copyright Act went into effect January 26 of this year. The Act makes unlocking cell phones illegal. In response, a petition was posted with 114,322 votes in favor of legalizing the practice. Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Julius Genachowski, however, expressed concern over how the legalization of unlocking phones would affect competition within the wireless market, arguing it raises “serious competition and innovation concerns.”

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