House Passes Bill Legalizing Phone Unlocking

Americans are one step closer to having the mobile phone freedom others around the world have long enjoyed. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act passed by a vote of 295 – 114 and now heads to the Senate.

Unlocking cell phones allows handsets to be used on a wireless network other than that of the originating carrier. It’s a process that wireless carriers are usually willing to accommodate once the customer’s wireless contract has been fulfilled. But the process became illegal last year when the Library of Congress opted not to renew a DMCA exemption, which it granted in 2006 and 2010. The change caused a stir in the wireless community and lead to an online petition that garnered some 114,322 signatures before winning the president’s support last March.

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By: Mark Quincy Adams

A proud 'pragmatic progressive' Mark Quincy Adams has been a political
talk show host and prolific pontificator since 1992. Find him on Facebook and Twitter @politicalglutton