Legislators Agree With White House on Cell Phone Unlocking, Bills To Be Presented Soon

It was certainly surprising to hear the White House respond so quickly to the 100k signature petition that was raised on the issue of unlocking phones becoming illegal. But even with the Obama Administration’s support, there was little they could do immediately other than push for changes down the road. We initially had no idea when we might see any actual legislation towards that promise, but Senators and Representatives alike have come forward and announced plans to introduce bills on the subject. 

In addition to the chairman of the FCC advocating overturning the ban on unlocking devices, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota said that she is introducing a bill soon to “get rid of the ban on unlocking cellphones.” Since then, 6 different Senators and Representatives have said they are going to introduce legislation or would be interested in passing some. It looks as if there will almost be a race to see who can produce the first bill on the floor of the Senate or House.

This is far from any bill being passed, but the fact that legislators are reacting so quickly to the cause is a good sign. They will still have to convince the rest of Congress of their points, but once they get past that we already know how the White House feels. If a good amount of Congress gets behind this bill, it could move pretty quickly into being an actual law.

Via: The Verge