Some wireless mobile providers have backed up the idea allowing wireless customers to unlock their cell phone without carrier permission, according to a report from Bloomberg.
One organization supporting the plan come from the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) who want the U.S. Congress to repeal the Library of Congress' decision which forbids mobile owners from unlocking their mobile devices without permission.
In addition, an online petition was made to the White House that garnered more than a 100,000 votes from people to make the unlocking of cell phones legal. Some excerpts from that petition reads "As of January 26, consumers will no longer be able to unlock their phones for use on a different network without carrier permission, even after their contract has expired."
The same petition went on further to say "It reduces consumer choice, and decreases the resale value of devices that consumers have paid in full." "We ask that the White House ask the Librarian of Congress to rescind this decision, and failing that, champion a bill that makes unlocking permanently legal."
Meanwhile, according to another report, the White House responded to the above petition and endorsed legalizing the unlocking of cell phones and tablets.
Likewise, David Edelman, a senior advisor to the chief technology officer for Internet policy in the White House in Washington said "Consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties. In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smartphones."
Edelman went on further to say "And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network."
Furthermore, to promote consumer choice and wireless competition by permitting consumers to unlock mobile wireless devices, and for other purposes, U.S. senators led by Grassley, Franken and Hatch, introduced a bill called "Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act."
Now whether this proposed bill would actually make it into a full-pledged law in the United States still remains to be seen.
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