It Is Now Legal To Unlock Your Phone: As Of Today American’s Can Legally Have Their Phones Unlocked As The President Has Signed Into Law The Bill That Makes It Legal For You To Unlock Your Cell Phone

By John Kevin Muu Aug 02, 2014 10:54 AM EDT

It Is Now Legal To Unlock Your Phone: As Of Today American's Can Legally Have Their Phones Unlocked As The President Has Signed Into Law The Bill That Makes It Legal For You To Unlock Your Cell Phone

The President of US, Barrack Obama, has signed into law the bill that makes it legal for consumers to unlock their cell phones. President Obama in the White House said, "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."

Last month, the Congress approved the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. This simply means that consumers can now unlock their phone without having to run afoul of copyrights. The Librarian of Congress has been directed to consider whether gadgets like tablets should be eligible for unlocking. Tom Wheeler, FCC Chairman, whose agency pushed for cell unlocking said that the new law is a positive development. "When the wireless industry worked with the FCC on a voluntary agreement to unlock devices when the consumers' contracts have been fulfilled, they took an important step forward. The president's signature today makes greater consumer choice the law of the land." The Copyrights Office reviews the rules on unlocking after every 3 years, as required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The White House has today championed the bill as "a rare trifecta: a win for the 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 debate dates back to a decision made on 2012 October from the Library of Congress's (LOC) Copyright Office, which gave the consumers in the US a deadline of 90 days to unlock their phones without carrier permission before the practice could become illegal.

This move, however, was not well received by everybody as OpenSignal's Sina Khanifar has added a petition to the White House site asking for the decision to be reversed. It even sent 100,000 e-signature threshold needed for an official White House response. This is really a good decision as it gives the US Consumers the right to legally unlock their phones without having to deal with copyright issues.