GOP Lawmakers Want FCC to Require Phone Unlocking
The agency has had an open rulemaking on the issue since 2024
WASHINGTON, July 17, 2026 – A group of four Republican lawmakers wants the Federal Communications Commission to institute a phone unlocking mandate.
They wrote two letters to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Monday urging him to resolve the agency’s open rulemaking on the issue and set a deadline after which carriers would have to make phones usable on other networks.
That rulemaking has been open since 2024. Carr, a commissioner at the time, voted in favor of seeking comment on a universal 60-day unlocking proposal, saying it “might allow us to create a more level playing field” given a patchwork of provider-specific obligations.
“Completing this rulemaking would give consumers, carriers, and the market the clarity and consistency they need,” Rep. Nick LaLota,R-N.Y., wrote in a joint letter to Carr. “It would also deliver a tangible affordability benefit to the working families in our districts who simply want the freedom to choose the wireless plan that works best for them.”
LaLota was joined by Reps. Mark Alford, R-Mo., and Mark Amodei, R-Nev. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., wrote a separate letter with the same request.
Under Carr’s leadership though, the agency has made another move to address the patchwork. In January, the agency granted Verizon’s request to ditch its obligation to unlock phones within 60 days.
The requirement was a condition of a 2007 spectrum purchase and did not apply to the other national carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile. They largely require customers to fully pay off their devices before unlocking them.
“By waiving a regulation that incentivized bad actors to target one particular carrier’s handsets for theft, we now have a uniform industry standard that can help stem the flow of handsets into the black market,” Carr said in a statement at the time.
Verizon maintained the early unlocking requirement made its phones a target for theft, something consumer advocacy and device repair groups disputed. It also made it easier for Verizon customers to switch to a new carrier sooner.
LaLota’s letter argued for adopting the 2024 proposal of a 60-day unlocking mandate across the board, arguing the individual carrier policies were themselves a patchwork, “leaving consumers without a consistent or reliable standard.”
Fitzgerald proposed a 180-day unlocking requirement, which he said would balance industry concerns about fraud and theft.
“Unlocking is fundamentally about who controls the device: the consumer who purchased it, or the provider that may be employing non-competitive means to retain the customer,” he wrote.
The cable industry has also supported an unlocking requirement, which its trade group NCTA has said would make it easier for consumers to switch. The group has pushed for a 180-day requirement though, also fearing handset fraud if the window were shorter.
Charter and Comcast’s mobile services have been competing more and more with the carriers and are a big part of the companies’ plan to stem broadband subscriber losses with bundled plans.
