Skip to main content

President Obama signs bill into law restoring legal cell phone unlocking

iphone-5s-hero-l-201311

The White House announced today that President Obama is signing the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act in law allowing consumers to unlock cell phones from their carriers at the end of a contract.

Today, President Obama will sign into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and in doing so, will achieve a rare trifecta: a win for American consumers, a win for wireless competition, and an example of democracy at its best — bipartisan congressional action in direct response to a call to action from the American people.

The legislation allowing consumers to legally unlock a cell phone first passed the Senate on July 16th, then received approval again from the House of Representatives on July 25th before moving to the President’s desk today.

Senator Patrick Leahy and Jeff Zients, the Director of the National Ecomic Council, describe the implications of the new law:

 The bill not only restores the rights of consumers to unlock their phones, but ensures that they can receive help doing so if they lack the technological savvy to unlock on their own.

The most important part of this joint effort is that it will have a real impact. As long as their phone is compatible and they have complied with their contracts, consumers will now be able to enjoy the freedom of taking their mobile service — and a phone they already own — to the carrier that best fits their needs.

Finally, the White House shared a statement from President Obama on the bill becoming law:

I applaud Members of Congress for passing the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. Last year, in response to a “We the People” petition from consumers across our country, my Administration called for allowing Americans to use their phones or mobile devices on any network they choose. We laid out steps the FCC, industry, and Congress should take to ensure copyright law does not undermine wireless competition, and worked with wireless carriers to reach a voluntary agreement that helps restore this basic consumer freedom. 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.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. So where can I go to get my iPhone 5s unlocked now? (Yes. I tried At&t, they said no)

  2. claytonkimball - 10 years ago

    Does this affect iPhone users?

  3. Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

    Definitely a win for users. If you pay for the phone, you shouldn’t have to be a slave to a carrier if you choose to leave.

  4. shareef777 - 10 years ago

    About time that worthless bum got something done other then complain about the Republicans.

    • jhulgan - 10 years ago

      I really don’t want to take this off topic, but you must not follow politics haha

      • shareef777 - 10 years ago

        I follow it plenty, though I don’t know why as it’s blatantly obvious that these politicians don’t care about what we think/say.

        Obama authorized drone use against CITIZENS. If that’s not the most heinous attack against the Constitution then I don’t know what is (right to due process). Then there’s the NSA’s spying (illegal search). And let’s not forget about his blind support and increases aid of foreign governments when we are still recovering from a recession. There’s also the lack of accountability for those that caused the recession in the first place.

        But you go ahead and ignore those and enjoy your unlocked phone, which btw was always legal for individuals. It was illegal for non-carriers to unlock the devices, and carriers were always obligated to unlock the device once you met your contracted obligation. This law only expanded the ability to unlock in mass to company’s so they can re-sell devices.

        So go on and start reading for yourself. BTW, I’d recommend news outlets NOT bought out like they are here in the US. Try the AP, rt, bbc, etc.

      • rwtd - 10 years ago

        shareef777, and this is why you aren’t a politician. You can candy it all you want, but unfortunately that’s not how world affairs really work (stopping foreign aid when in a recession, blah blah blah). Drone use against citizens who are acting as terrorists against the US, while overseas, is 100% justified, and legal, IMO.

    • rwtd - 10 years ago

      Don’t be a douche – he has no power to do anything, other than executive decisions (and those are very limited in scope), without Congress first actually working together and passing bipartisan bills. You know this, troll!

      • shareef777 - 10 years ago

        You’re an idiot. NO LAW can be passed without his signature. And the second you’re going to decide that’s it’s ok to pick and choose which CITIZENS are covered under the constitution then you’ve lost the ONLY REASON this country WAS so great.

      • rwtd - 10 years ago

        You apparently didn’t read a GD thing I said, troll.

      • shareef777 - 10 years ago

        You seem to just like to revert to calling people ‘troll’ when they don’t agree with you. It’s his administrationn that’s authorizing the murder of US citizens without due process. He has the veto power to stop aid to foreign countries. Your argument that Congress won’t let him due anything else, is invalid. He’s the GD leader of the free world and the fact that you said ‘he has no power to do anything’ shows how little you know and how far you’d go to blindly support him.

      • rwtd - 10 years ago

        Troll, you know what I said – you are purposely, or ignorantly, skipping over my “without Congress…”

        “Don’t be a douche – he has no power to do anything, other than executive decisions (and those are very limited in scope), without Congress first actually working together and passing bipartisan bills. You know this, troll!”

        As for murdering Americans, when they are acting as terrorists overseas to harm/murder other Americans, I’m all for it.

      • shareef777 - 10 years ago

        He passed Obamacare with this ‘worthless Congress’, as well as BORROWING BILLIONS to GIVE to foreign governments.

    • Fake Sound (@Secrxt) - 10 years ago

      And yet you’d be complaining and saying he should go through Congress if he signed more executive orders, wouldn’t you?

    • jhulgan - 10 years ago

      Then you should know this is the least productive Congress in 70 years.
      And that’s a fact.

    • kplayaja - 10 years ago

      Most UNPRODUCTIVE Congress in U.S. History. They must all have cell phones, I guess.

  5. I’m glad to see he can do something right as the leader of the free world. He probably wants to switch carriers and is pissed that AT&T won’t let him unlock his phone, so he passed the bill. Seriously, this president isn’t presidential material. He’d be better suited as a tech savvy blogger.

    • rwtd - 10 years ago

      Politically challenged any?

    • kplayaja - 10 years ago

      Are you aware of how our Government actually works?

  6. Charles Morlan - 10 years ago

    yes and it will make your phone cost more

  7. alen f (@alen85) - 10 years ago

    finally, give Sprint the bird

    • kplayaja - 10 years ago

      Good luck! HARDEST phones to unlock of ALL the carriers.

  8. Andrew Maloney - 10 years ago

    Wow I didn’t realise you got stitched up by the carriers like this in the US. In Australia we own the phone the moment we get it on a contract. The only locked phones are the ones subsidised by prepaid services, and then they are all unlockable with a moderate fee or free to unlock after a period of time.

  9. accdla - 10 years ago

    i dont get it. This means you can unlock your iphone AFTER the contract is over? that was always teh case, jsut needed to send ATT and email and they would do it. What does this accomplish? unless it would let you unlock during the 2 year contract period so you could use it overseas on travel.

  10. Truffol (@Truffol) - 10 years ago

    Now I can finally use a local data sim when travelling and avoid ridiculous roaming charges or go looking for wifi everywhere…

  11. Luis Andres Vique - 10 years ago

    what about the prices between unlocked phones and contract phones at web site or retail stores? did it stay the same or will chance anytime soon?

  12. Romany Stanton - 10 years ago

    what this doesnt say is that yes u can now unlock your phone to move from carrier to carrier, but because the manufacturers design phones to work on a particular network many features of the phone may not work when u are on a different network,

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.