Carriers Won’t Unlock Your iPhone For Your Own Benefit

In June, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced a proposal that mandates carriers to unlock your iPhone or Android device no later than 60 days after it is activated.

However, major US carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile are pushing back against this regulation, arguing that enforcing such a rule would negatively impact consumers.

FCC’s Proposal for Unlocking iPhones

While many individuals choose to purchase their iPhones directly from Apple and pay the full price upfront, others opt for subsidized contracts through carriers, allowing them to pay a lower initial amount but gradually cover the remaining cost over a contract, which usually lasts about two years.

To prevent users from switching networks during this contract period, carriers lock devices to their own networks, but they typically do not automatically unlock them once the contract is completed. In many cases, if a customer requests an unlock, there’s no set timeframe for how long that might take. This is where the FCC aims to intervene, proposing that carriers must unlock devices within 60 days of request.

Currently, Verizon follows a similar rule due to specific regulations tied to the frequencies it employs.

Carrier Concerns About Consumer Impact

Both T-Mobile and AT&T argue against the 60-day unlocking requirement, suggesting that locking phones to a network enables them to offer more affordable devices to consumers […]

T-Mobile warned that implementing a 60-day unlocking policy could result in “consumers potentially losing the advantage of free or heavily subsidized devices, as the proposal would compel providers to limit their best phone offerings” […]

Following a similar line of reasoning, AT&T stated in an October 7 filing that the FCC’s draft regulations would likely “make devices less accessible for consumers, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.”

However, consumer advocacy groups express a unified opposition to this stance.

On October 18, multiple consumer advocacy organizations, including Public Knowledge, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Consumer Reports, the National Consumers League, the National Consumer Law Center, and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, expressed support for a stringent unlocking regulation.

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