New FCC Rule Requires Carriers to Unlock Phones after 60 Days.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a new rule that would require wireless carriers to unlock phones for customers after 60 days of service.To be clear, this is not about opening up your phone using a face, fingerprint or password, but changing settings in its software to allow it to work with different mobile networks.FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or NPRM in a press release on Thursday. “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,” she wrote. “That is why we are proposing clear, nationwide mobile phone unlocking rules.”Precisely, the release says, carriers would simply have to provide unlocking services 60 days after activation. A welcome standard, but it may run afoul of today’s phone and wireless markets.Mobile phones purchased from a carrier are generally locked to that carrier until either the contract is up or the phone is paid off. But despite improvements to the process over the years (unlocking was flat-out illegal not long ago), it still isn’t quite clear to all consumers when and how they can unlock their phone and take it to the carrier (or country) of their choice.For instance, to unlock a phone, the first step is usually to check with your carrier to see if they offer unlocking services. Some carriers will unlock your phone for free after a certain period of time or after you have paid off the phone in full. Other carriers may charge a fee for unlocking your phone. If your carrier does not offer unlocking services, there are third-party companies that can help unlock your phone for a fee. It is important to research and choose a reputable company to ensure that your phone is unlocked properly and safely. The NPRM is the stage of FCC rulemaking where it has a draft rule but has not yet solicited public feedback. On July 18, the agency will publish the full document and open up commentary on the above issues. And you can be sure there will be some muttering from mobile providers!Not knowing the specifics of the proposed rule, we can’t be sure how it would mix with these common pay-over-time details. But unlocking a phone doesn’t free someone from needing to pay off the device — they can just use it on other networks if they want. And if a carrier lets you buy a phone outright from it but locks it to the bands for six months or a year out of sheer greed, this would offer an early exit.As the chairwoman said, the point of the rule is to offer consistency and transparency: a simple, national rule from regulators setting a reasonable limit on how and whether carriers can lock down devices. We’ll know more in July when the full NPRM is published.