White House: Consumers Should Have Right to Unlock Phones

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DRosencraft

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Contrary to popular belief, the president is not a dictator. Just because he says something doesn't mean he can automatically do it. Welcome to the world of divided government in an age of intransigence. Truth is, no matter how much whining and complaining the Congress makes about not having enough power and blah, blah, blah, the Congress has much more power than the executive, and if they wanted could virtually force the president to do whatever they want. And of the Congress, the House actually has more power than the Senate because the founders liked the idea of our nation being more in the control of the most directly representative group. Smartphones are a relatively new tech, and the law tends to trail behind innovation by a bunch. No specific regulations apply to smartphones except those that are newly written, or old regulations attached to something else but have been stretched to include the new tech. Everyone seems to hate laws, but this is a situation where a new law is needed, to protect the right to sell unlocked phones. I would note that a similar consideration would be nice for console gamers to preempt the whole quiet storm about the idea of banning a system from playing used games.
 

dimar

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So it's OK for the cell phone providers to put their bloatware on the phones, but consumers are not allowed to unlock the phones? Looks like the consumers are being screwed big time.

 

webbwbb

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The FCC could easily intervene by requiring carriers to give customers permission to unlock a device if they want to renew their spectrum licenses.
 

hannibal

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Hmm... I am not an American, but I think that the best compromis would be that you are not alloved to unlock your phone, but it would forced to companies to unlock those phones when the contract end. It allso has to be possible to buy directly unlocked phones (maybe in higher prize) if the customer wants it.
If I undestand it right the company sells the phone with very cheap price and get a long contract, so I can see why unlocking would be "unfair" for companys point of view, but it would be completely wrong to not unlock the phone after the contracts ends! After that the phone should be completelly yours. It is like renting the phone for two years and having it your own after that.
 

southernshark

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I'll never buy a phone on contract again. When you can get a Nexus 4 for $300 bucks with no contract, I do not see the point of it.

Back on topic, this law strikes me as unconstitutional because it expands the authority of Congress to regulate commerce to an extreme never imagined by the drafters of the Constitution. But I doubt that the Supreme Court will agree with me since it usually sides with Congress and big business.
 

southernshark

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[citation][nom]Spyker2041[/nom]So the unlocking of phones is considered a right by the Obama administration but being able to protect one's self and one's family is not? Makes sense....[/citation]

It makes sense to Democrats... or some of them anyway... most of them voted in favor of making unlocking a phone a crime... but I'm sure Obama blames only the GOP.
 

southernshark

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[citation][nom]dgingeri[/nom]The administration representatives say he agrees, but as we've seen before, what President Obama says and what he does are two very different things. He's too busy actively working to destroy the economy and gain his rulership for life, like his buddy Hugo Chavez, to be concerned about what the people want.[/citation]
Yes he always agrees with the people, but then his hands are tied by the forces of the George Bush (even when the Democrats actually vote for the law and he signs it and even when the Democrats control the Senate .... its still Bush's fault).
 

Phenis

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[citation][nom]janetonly42[/nom]Don't believe a word this lying regime says. It has a marxist/fascist agenda and need to be stopped. 2,700 light armored tanks and 1.5 billion rounds of ammo for Homeland Security. WTF for? I bet they are getting brown shirts made up too, sieg heil.[/citation]
Marxism is an extreme left-wing ideology. Fascism is basically the exact opposite, extreme right-wing. Don't make while claims when you don't even know the definitions of what you're talking about.
 

sykozis

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Most of the responses here are just plain ridiculous....

[citation][nom]hannibal[/nom]Hmm... I am not an American, but I think that the best compromis would be that you are not alloved to unlock your phone, but it would forced to companies to unlock those phones when the contract end. It allso has to be possible to buy directly unlocked phones (maybe in higher prize) if the customer wants it.If I undestand it right the company sells the phone with very cheap price and get a long contract, so I can see why unlocking would be "unfair" for companys point of view, but it would be completely wrong to not unlock the phone after the contracts ends! After that the phone should be completelly yours. It is like renting the phone for two years and having it your own after that.[/citation]
The phone manufacturer can sell you an unlocked phone with no penalty. This is legal because you're paying full retail price for the phone. The reasoning behind this "law" is the belief that when you buy a subsidized phone on a contract, you're essentially signing a "lease to own" contract where you pay for the "subsidized" portion of the phone cost through your contract. At the end of the contract, the phone is fully paid for, and you legally own it at that point. Once the contract is over, you can request that the carrier unlock your phone with no penalty (aside from them charging you).
 
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