Tin Game Việt: White House says 'it's time to legalize cell phone unlocking' in official petition response

The White House has just issued its official response to a petition calling for President Barack Obama to legalize the practice of unlocking cellular phones in the United States. In short, the administration agrees wholeheartedly. "The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties," reads the response, written by R. David Edelman. "In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones." The White House also suggests customers should be given the right to unlock a device once they've met their contractual obligations with carriers. "It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs."

As for what happens now, the administration makes clear that it's open to a number of potential solutions, saying "neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a service agreement or other obligation." It's calling on the FCC to take a closer look at the situation along with the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration). Finally, the White House is hinting that carriers should review their current policies "to ensure that their customers can fully reap the benefits and features they expect when purchasing their devices."

In October of last year, the US Library of Congress removed unlocking from its list of valid exceptions to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, making the act illegal without consent from wireless carriers. The controversial move spurred outrage among mobile users, with the petition — started by Sina Khanifar — drawing 114,322 signatures. Khanifar's petition was among the first to break a recently-instituted 100,000-signature barrier required to receive an administration response.

Developing...