Major Wireless Carriers Kept Commitment to Unlock Cellphones, FCC Says

The major U.S. wireless carriers have kept a commitment to adopt policies within a year allowing customers to switch networks while keeping their existing devices, two FCC officials said in a Wednesday blog post. “We congratulate CTIA and the participating wireless providers for reaching this important milestone,” wrote Roger Sherman, chief of the Wireless Bureau, and Kris Monteith, acting chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. The rules require carriers to unlock devices “no later than one year after initial activation, consistent with reasonable time and usage requirements,” they said. Participating carriers also have agreed to notify subscribers when their devices are eligible for unlocking, if they're not automatically unlocked, and to post unlocking information on their websites, they said. “Full implementation of the unlocking principles is a positive development for both consumers and wireless providers, as it increases competition to innovate,” the FCC officials said. CTIA is pleased the FCC recognized that carriers met the deadline, said Scott Bergmann, vice president-regulatory affairs. “We also remind consumers that an unlocked device does not necessarily mean an interoperable one since different carriers use different technologies and spectrum bands.” Also this week, the Copyright Office released comments from wireless and other interests asking it to allow consumers to unlock, or jailbreak, cellphones under exemptions to Digital Millennium Copyright Act Section 1201 (see 1502110062).