The White House has responded to the over 100,000 petitions for unlocking cell phones. It supports unlocking of cell phones that are paid for and free from a contract. The President will work with the FCC and NTIA to help clean-up laws so that it is not longer a criminal offense to unlock the phone you own.
The White House stated that it "agrees that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones and tablets without risking criminal or other penalties. "
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 especially secondhand and gifted phones, noted the statement from R. David Edelman , Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy.
The Obama Administration supports ways to address the issue, including legislative fixes that make it clear that neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a service agreement or other obligation.
FCC Chairman Genachowski said:
"The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress recently reversed its longstanding position and stated it is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for consumers to unlock new mobile phones, even those outside of contract periods, without their wireless providers’ permission, and that consumers are subject to criminal penalties if they do.
"From a communications policy perspective, this raises serious competition and innovation concerns, and for wireless consumers, it doesn't pass the common sense test. The FCC is examining this issue, looking into whether the agency, wireless providers, or others should take action to preserve consumers' ability to unlock their mobile phones. I also encourage Congress to take a close look and consider a legislative solution."
The White House encourages mobile providers to consider what steps they can take to ensure that their customers can reap the benefits and features they expect when purchasing their devices.