Four members of the House Judiciary Committee introduced legislation Thursday,...
Four members of the House Judiciary Committee introduced legislation Thursday, aimed at permitting wireless users to unlock their phones to switch from one carrier to another. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (HR-1123) is a companion bill to…
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the recently introduced Senate bill with the same name (S-517) (CD March 13 p10). The bill offers a legislative fix that restores an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for cellphone firmware unlocking that permits consumers to use their phones with other carriers once their contract terms have expired. Under the DMCA, those who unlock their phones without permission from their carriers may be subject to civil lawsuits, criminal fines or imprisonment. The new bill also directs the Copyright Office to determine whether similar treatment should be given to other wireless devices, like tablets. The House bill was sponsored by Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.; Ranking Member John Conyers, D-Mich.; Internet Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble, R-N.C.; and Ranking Member Mel Watt, D-N.C.