Unlocking Cell Phones and Other Wireless Proposals
As we all know from experience, when you sign a contract with a wireless carrier, you get a cell phone at reduced price as long as you stay with them…unless you “unlocked” your phone, which involved a software alteration and required a new SIM card.
Beginning January 26, 2013, “unlocking” your phone became illegal under federal law. Specifically, the US Copyright Office and Library of Congress no longer allowed phone unlocking as an exemption under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). (Read the full ruling.) But don’t worry if your phone has already been unlocked before the January law change: you’re “grandfathered” in and won’t face any legal issues.
In July, the House Judiciary Committee approved the bipartisan Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (HR 1123), which would restore the exemption that permits consumers to unlock their cell phones without the approval of their wireless provider. It still needs to be voted on by the full House and Senate before it becomes law. Weigh in on this and other bills related to cell phones. POPVOX will deliver your message to Congress, guaranteed, and aggregate your voice with others. (Learn how POPVOX works.)
Unlocking your Cell Phone
- HR 1892 The Unlocking Technology Act: would permanently guarantee consumers can unlock their cell phones, tablets, and other mobile communications devices in order to switch carriers, according to bill sponsor.
- S 481 The Wireless Consumer Choice Act: To require that Federal Communications Commission to direct that wireless providers permit the unlocking of mobile devices.
- S 467 The Wireless Device Independence Act: To allow consumers to unlock mobile wireless devices for interoperability purposes.
- HR 1123 The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act: To promote consumer choice and wireless competition by permitting consumers to unlock mobile wireless devices. (And S 517 in the Senate.)
Mobile Devices and Wireless Communication Legislation
- HR 2309 Wireless Tax Fairness Act: To restrict any State or local jurisdiction from imposing a new discriminatory tax on cell phone services, providers, or property. — Recently introduced. —
- HR 2911 Wireless Microphone Users Interference Protection Act : To require the Federal Communications Commission to expand eligibility for part 74 licenses to certain wireless microphone users, to establish safe haven channels for wireless microphones, and to authorize access by owners and operators of wireless microphones to the TV bands databases for the purpose of protecting wireless microphone operations from interference. — Recently introduced. —
- HR 1913 Application Privacy, Protection, and Security Act: would require app developers maintain privacy policies, obtain consent from consumers before collecting data, and securely maintain the data they collect.
- HR 1730 Cell Phone Theft Prevention Act: to prohibit mobile service providers from providing service on mobile devices that have been reported stolen, to require such providers to give consumers the ability to remotely delete data from mobile devices, to prohibit the alteration or removal of mobile device identification numbers.
- S 607 Updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act: To improve the provisions relating to the privacy of electronic communications.
- HR 983 Online Communications and Geolocation Protection Act: To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to disclosures to governments by communications-related service providers of certain information consisting of or relating to communications.
- HRes 57 Resolution expressing the sense of the House that in order to continue aggressive growth in the Nation’s telecommunications and technology industries, the US Government should “Get Out of the Way and Stay Out of the Way”.
- HR 210 To require retail establishments that use mobile device tracking technology to display notices to that effect.
- HR 176 The Stop Taxpayer Funded Cell Phones Act: To prohibit universal service support of commercial mobile service through the Lifeline program.
- S 418 The Do-Not-Track Online Act: A bill to require the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe regulations regarding the collection and use of personal information obtained by tracking the online activity of an individual.
