For international roaming SIM users in the United States, the law banning the ability to unlock smartphones without carrier permission has been quite the thorn in the side. Luckily, it appears as if the law is at least getting some scrutiny from the top, as FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told TechCrunch that the government branch will “investigate” the DMCA decision.
The “ban raises competition concerns; it raises innovation concerns,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.
The DMCA law went into effect on January 25 and prevented consumers from more easily being able to switch from one carrier to another with the same device. A “We the People” petition recently passed the necessary 100,000 signature mark, forcing a formal response from the White House.
Of course, it’s not known if the FCC has the authority to revert the change, but if the law is found to cause harm to consumers, changes are it will be reversed. Here’s hoping.