this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2024
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708
FCC proposes ending cellphone carrier locks after 60 days (www.theregister.com)
submitted 5 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] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yup. I can get away with prepaid 1GB/month for 3€ because I'm almost always near Wi-Fi and don't really need to use anything bandwidth when I'm not.

I also find it wild how some people will get an expensive contract that comes with a "free" phone, but then don't switch to an equal but cheaper contract (without a "free" phone) when the contract term expires, or at the very least renew the term so they get a new phone.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Yeah, that one is beyond me as well.