The cellphone unlocking bill is about to become law -- but there's a catch
A bill to restore consumers' rights to unlock their cellphones is one step from becoming law now that it has cleared Congress. But it's at best a stopgap measure, and the Library of Congress still holds the real keys to this kingdom.
S.517, aka the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act," was first put before Congress in 2013 as a response to changes made by the Library of Congress involving DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act ) exemption rules. For various reasons, cellphone unlocking falls under the provisions of the DMCA that cover circumventing copy protection. The Library evaluates those prohibitions every three years, and from 2006 to 2012, the library allowed cellphones to be unlocked from their original provider after the original contract for the device had expired. But in 2012, the Library changed its mind and decided the rule wouldn't apply to new phones purchased after Jan. 26, 2013.
