Scholar
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397 Messages
Unlocking Your Phone Is Now Illegal
What is this contry coming to. If you own the phone or contract is out, it should be yours to do what you want with it. Read Article
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/now-illegal-unlock-cellphone/story?id=18319518
redpoint73
Professor
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3K Messages
11 years ago
I too am skeptical of that particular comment. Its not like AT&T is going to reposses your phone, if you break your contract. Subsidizing new phones is just a way to get you to sign-up, or re-commit (basically a sign-up discount). Don't think it means they still own the phone. But if somebody has any definitive evidence otherwise, I'd be interested to see.
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redpoint73
Professor
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3K Messages
11 years ago
Yeah, that one completely blew my mind.
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kgbkny
Guru
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309 Messages
11 years ago
I am not buying it at all. A writer on one of the Android blogs suggested the same thing - we don't own the phone until we fulfill the contract. If this is the case, I'd love to see where exactly this is stated. Moreover, if a subscriber elects to cancel his/her contract early, he/she pays an ETF. The phone remains the subscriber's property.
For instance, when you finance a car, the loan issuer is clearly listed as the lienholder on the title. After the final payment is made, the lienholder issues a lien release notice to the owner. No such documents are issued for subsidized phones upon fulfilling the contract.
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aybarrap1
Mentor
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40 Messages
11 years ago
Actually, I still even question the ability to enforce this law on phones even after the 26th of January...at least for LTE phones. It is my understanding that the FCC passed regulations that prohibit this on the 700 Mhz spectrum and therefore, in theory, the phone can be unlocked how you choose.
I agree about the hardware vs media. This is nothing more than an attempt by AT&T (and any other major player) to prohibit competition and therefore keep the possibility of losing subscribers at a minimum. Just goes to show how it is not the people (via those who they elect) that run the country, it is the big corporations
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aybarrap1
Mentor
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40 Messages
11 years ago
Actually, I still even question the ability to enforce this law on phones even after the 26th of January...at least for LTE phones. It is my understanding that the FCC passed regulations that prohibit this on the 700 Mhz spectrum and therefore, in theory, the phone can be unlocked how you choose.
I agree about the hardware vs media. This is nothing more than an attempt by AT&T (and any other major player) to prohibit competition and therefore keep the possibility of losing subscribers at a minimum. Just goes to show how it is not the people (via those who they elect) that run the country, it is the big corporations
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21stNow
Professor
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2.7K Messages
11 years ago
As far as I know, the FCC regulations were only on the section of the 700MHz spectrum that Verizon Wireless purchased; AT&T Mobility is not affected by the ruling.
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