Just want to note that this effectively doesn't apply to Verizon because they already have such a rule, which was imposed over a decade ago as a condition of the 700MHz spectrum.
This means we already know such a rule works for carriers and we can apply it to the others.
Actually, the original Band 13 700 megahertz agreement was that all Verizon phones would be unlocked from day zero. And they recently got a waiver from the FCC to increase it to 60 days. So, for Verizon, this would change nothing at all. For AT&T and T Mobile, though, this would be a major difference.
"Device locks" limit device functionality and should go away. The only obligation should be financial, not restrictive.
The amount of resources and time wasted on micromanaging device locks is a revenue killer..... get rid of the customer pain point, eliminate this as a reason to contact, the money you save from this sure outweighs the money wasted policing this ridiculous policy. Any device sold should be compatible with any major carrier... let's make them compete for our business!!!
If this goes through you won’t see any more subsidized planes without a locked in contract, or installment plans you’ll still be on the hook for. Not a bad thing, just don’t think there’s much merit in this unless you really have to jump. The original phone company will still get their money.
Ban orphan kernels to stop all theft of ownership. The carrier is irrelevant. The control comes directly from the binary hardware support modules for the Linux kernel on the device. If that source code was merged into the kernel, your device would work for decades. Sure, you may not want to use them forever, bit all your old hardware would still have uses elsewhere and a real second hand market instead of miscellaneous junk drawer nostalgia trinkets.
It would be nice but I doubt this will go through.
I got a 2022 iPad Pro a few months ago (from a guy who worked at T-Mobile, no less) and he told me as he was handing it to me that it was a cell model which I didn’t realize but made the deal even more sweet for me.
Only come to find out that it’s locked to the carrier, who I presume is T-Mobile.
Why? How is this fair? Why is this a thing so many years later and in the hands of a new owner? Why am I locked to one carrier for this device that I didn’t agree to being locked to when I got said device? There was no way of knowing its lock status for me and I don’t think the seller should have to disclose that to me. It should have been unlocked the moment he paid it off. Why is a 2 year old device still locked to the carrier it came from, despite being fully paid off?