FCC to investigate cell phone unlocking ban

A new law recently went into effect that made it illegal to unlock a cell phone purchased from a carrier without prior permission. The decision was met with widespread backlash from consumers and resulted in an online petition that was singed by more than 100,000 people asking the government to reverse the law. According to TechCrunch, the Federal Communications Commission plans to investigate whether the ban is harmful to consumers and competition in the industry. Chairman Julius Genachowski said that the “ban raises competition concerns; it raises innovation concerns,” adding that “it’s something that we will look at at the FCC to see if we can and should enable consumers to use unlocked phones.” The Chairman did note, however, that the FCC may not have the authority to overturn the law.