Bill to Legalize Unlocking of Mobile Phone: Report
The United States house representatives have passed a bill supporting "S517" that allows mobile phone users to unlock and switch carriers.
The mobile phones are often locked to their networks to promote contract renewal by customers with their carriers in the United States.
The main carriers are Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US and U.S. Cellular.
The consumer groups and the Federal Communications Commission pressurized the major carrier to allow easier laws for consumer to unlock their cell phone.
"This is something that Americans have been asking for and I am pleased that we were able to work together to ensure the swift passage of legislation restoring the exemption that allowed consumers to unlock their cell phones," Bob Goodlatte, chairman House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement published in the National Journal.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed in 1998, disallowed the unlocking of mobile phones banning the "circumvention" of any copy of protection mechanisms. Later, between 2006 and 2012, unlocking of mobile phones became legal when the US Librarian of Congress granted the freedom, but the right was withdrawn in 2013.
The legal change is due to the 19 months of hard activism over the issue and the bill will be now presented to President Obama.
"The bill Congress passed today is another step toward giving ordinary Americans more flexibility and choice, so that they can find a cell phone carrier that meets their needs and their budget .I commend Chairmen Leahy and Goodlatte, and Ranking Members Grassley and Conyers for their leadership on this important consumer issue and look forward to signing this bill into law," the President said in a statement , reports Ars Technica.
