NCTA Urges FCC to Defer Verizon Petition
Asks FCC to adopt uniform unlocking requirements instead
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2025 – The Internet & Television Association was squaring off against Verizon.
NCTA, which includes members such as Cox Communications, Disney Entertainment, Paramount Global, and others, urged the Federal Communications Commission to defer Verizon’s request to waive a regulation that requires it to unlock mobile phones within 60 days.
In a Monday filing sent to the FCC, the trade association argued that the FCC should enact a proposal mandating a uniform 60-day unlocking requirement for all mobile carriers, rather than granting Verizon a separate waiver.
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“Addressing the Verizon petition in a separate proceeding would exacerbate the current confusion by adding another decision that would not be applicable to all mobile providers across the board,” the NCTA wrote. “Instead, the Commission should resolve the Verizon petition within the context of the pending rulemaking [proposing a uniform 60 day unlocking period], which already contains a robust record from all interested parties.”
The association also urged the FCC to ease number porting requirements, arguing that doing so “would afford customers an even more efficient and seamless switching experience.”
NCTA’s filing aligned with another filed Monday by a consortium of twelve consumer advocacy groups urging the FCC to deny Verizon’s waiver request. The television lobbying group has often been at odds with some of the groups it now finds itself in agreement with.
The Verizon petition that NCTA and the consumer advocacy groups were challenging was backed by a variety of law enforcement groups, state attorney generals, and Verizon itself, which argued that the 60 day unlocking requirement makes it a prime target for device theft and fraud.
Verizon and T-Mobile are subject to the 60-day unlocking requirement because of deals they struck with the FCC. T-Mobile agreed to the rule as part of its purchase of Mint Mobile, while Verizon agreed to it as part of its acquisition of TracFone. Other carriers, such as AT&T, face no such restriction. AT&T has opposed a uniform 60 day unlocking requirement, while Verizon has supported it.
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