- Newly proposed FCC rules would require carriers to unlock phones after 60 days, even if they are on payment plans that have unresolved balances.
- AT&T and T-Mobile have both pushed back on the effort, though T-Mobile has been even more vocal claiming the FCC doesn’t have the right to authorize this change and that it even implied this change could lead the uncarrier to abandon payment plans altogether.
- Verizon supports the effort, though largely because it already activates its phones within 60 days due to a prior agreement with the FCC.
Back in June, the FCC proposed a significant rule change that would require carriers to unlock all phones within 60 days of activation. At the time, the FCC was seeking public comment on the proposal, with plans to vote on whether to pursue the issue in early July. Since then, the proposal has been unanimously approved by the five-member commission, and the plan marches forward. To be clear, this doesn’t mean a new unlock policy is happening anytime soon; it just means that the FCC will continue to actively pursue these regulatory changes. Unsurprisingly, AT&T and T-Mobile have both spoken up against the change.
AT&T has indicated that the rule changes could negatively affect its ability to offer affordable devices, though that’s about the extent of its opposition so far. T-Mobile has been considerably more vocal. The “Uncarrier” has not only made it clear that this change could negatively impact their device payment plans and other services, but it has also gone so far as to imply that the change might cause the carrier to give up on payment plans altogether (as first reported by Broadband Breakfast). Furthermore, the carrier questions whether the FCC even has the authorization to pursue such a change.