White House: cell phone unlocking should be legal
NEW YORK (AP) - An Obama administration adviser says the White House believes smartphone and tablet users should be allowed to unlock their phones and use the devices on the network of their choosing.
In a blog post entitled "It's time to legalize cell phone unlocking," R. David Edelman, White House adviser on Internet, innovation and privacy, responded to a petition about the issue by saying the administration feels consumers should be allowed to unlock their phones without civil or criminal penalties, especially if the phones were purchased secondhand or as gifts.
Edelman says the administration's opinion on the matter also goes for tablets, since they are becoming similar to smartphones.
He says the White House will work with the Federal Communications Commission to address the issue and will also support new legislation.
In a blog post entitled "It's time to legalize cell phone unlocking," R. David Edelman, White House adviser on Internet, innovation and privacy, responded to a petition about the issue by saying the administration feels consumers should be allowed to unlock their phones without civil or criminal penalties, especially if the phones were purchased secondhand or as gifts.
Edelman says the administration's opinion on the matter also goes for tablets, since they are becoming similar to smartphones.
He says the White House will work with the Federal Communications Commission to address the issue and will also support new legislation.
while this is good news, positive news even, your new cell phone is still illegal to unlock. Â even if you paid full price. Â even if you're not under any contract. Â you think you own that device....but clearly you don't. Â
worse yet, AT&T pretends they're the good guy and posts a blog post saying how they unlock phones after 60 days if the customer "is in good standing". Â Too bad it's a lie and they wait a good 6 months before actually giving you an unlock code. Â They did this to me with the Nokia Lumia 900 when it dropped. Â 6+ months. Â So i don't buy the "60 day" line. Â History says otherwise.
The good news is you can still legally unlock devices made before January 26, 2013 here: Â http://gsmunlocklabs.com
Phone unlock = Yes
More important things to do in White House = Yes
Between having a locked phone vs. better US job market....I careless about the phone at this time.Â
@BellevueRes It's highly unlikely that the whole of the White House Resources are zeroing in on this one tiny little aspect of American life and ignoring everything else. The White House is quite capable of multitasking. That is what your tax money is used for -- paying for the resources necessary to multitask.
While I agree with the sentiment, this is yet another example of a serious problem with the Obama administration weighing in on an issue it should not be involved with. Let the courts work this out; it has nothing to do with the executive branch at this point. But Obama feels he should give his personal opinion on every matter, and people should listen to what he has to say. It's indicative of a mentality where he feels he is the final authority on all matters, and that is NOT what the office of the President is supposed to be.......
@dg54321 First of all, Obama has not given his personal opinion on anything. The White House responded to a petition, which they are required to do when it reaches a certain amount of signatures. The person who issued the statement is just an adviser. Â
Makes your rant against Obama here look pretty silly.Â
Once again, nothing else better to do? How can they write new rules and legislation when the world ended from the sequester?