Comments on: White House: “It’s time to legalize cell phone unlocking” http://gigaom.com/2013/03/04/white-house-its-time-to-legalize-cell-phone-unlocking/ Tue, 21 May 2013 21:13:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: TennSeven http://gigaom.com/2013/03/04/white-house-its-time-to-legalize-cell-phone-unlocking/#comment-1317916 Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:10:32 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=616518#comment-1317916 I completely agree. I was very surprised when I bought my Nexus 4 off contract and realized that the carriers charge you the same, if not more, for month-to-month plans (if that option is even offered) even though I did not subsidize a phone. I went with an MVNO (Simple Mobile, which is on T-Mobile’s network), and now I am paying $50 for unlimited everything, without being locked into a contract, and I could not be happier.

I will never lock myself into a carrier again, and I think it’s time that the government did something to stop their anti-consumer practices.

]]> By: richardmgarrett http://gigaom.com/2013/03/04/white-house-its-time-to-legalize-cell-phone-unlocking/#comment-1317522 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:19:11 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=616518#comment-1317522 It can’t happen soon enough. Most carriers’ plans not only make the user (ultimately) pay for the full cost of the device, they continue to charge as though the device is not yet paid for. I’m sensing a lot of discontent and the possibility of disruption (I have read many examples evidencing that on GigaOm) in the traditional cell model due to end user frustration. The major carriers would be smart to put out this part of the fire and sign on to what the president, FCC, NTIA, and – most importantly – their customers seem to want. Its no wonder StraightTalk, Virgin, RepublicWireless, Cricket, and so many other MVNOs are getting a lot of press these days. Thanks Kevin for keeping us informed.

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