Unlocking your phone for a different carrier is now illegal.

[Blockzillahead]

You can't unlock it until your plan expires it. After the plan expires you can unlock it.

[Ad Bot]

[dorkdotdan]

This is one of the pitfalls of lobbying. Companies like Sony who started to fade a long time ago want to stay at the top and do backhanded stuff in order to do so.

Of course lots of good things come out of lobbying, but so does this sort of thing.

[Port]

what if my phone was unlocked when I bought it

[DrenDran]

show me a land that has the same quality of life for its citizens and is more free.
one that isn't Switzerland or something like that that has strict immigration laws.

Wait, what?
So a country is only free if it has strict immagration laws?
Besides, just because there isn't anything better, doesn't mean we're still not losing freedoms.

[dorkdotdan]

Wait, what?
So a country is only free if it has strict immagration laws?
Besides, just because there isn't anything better, doesn't mean we're still not losing freedoms.

He's implying the Swiss do have strict immigration laws, hence not being able to just move there on (almost) free will.

[Thé Lord Tony]

what if my phone was unlocked when I bought it

500,000 dollar fine.

[dorkdotdan]

500,000 dollar fine.

That's only if he sold it to someone.

[fawkes..]

I think I understand this, but could someone please explain this to me? Is it just

Yeah, in America it might mean something else but if you 'unlock' your phone in the UK it can then have any SIM card inserted into it and work, instead of only working for one SIM/network

[Pentium]

I wonder how they're going to enforce this?

[Lando The Climber²]

I wonder how they're going to enforce this?

Bi-weekly mandatory cellphone inspections

[Zeblote]

What's a carrier

[Fastlex]

What's a carrier

Phone service like AT&T

[Bisjac]

Unlocking your phone?

its when people buy a used phone, or one meant for 1 carrier and can force it on another.
its pretty much a form of DRM for physical phones.

[Mysteroo]

Yeah, great idea!
Let's worry about what phone service your using, and what soda size you drink, and limit food being given away to the poor because of how unhealthy it is!
That's much more important than out 15 trillion dollar debt, and everything else!

as much as I love America as my home, we need to get our priorities straight :I

[devildogelite]

This has always been illegal, your violating the contract. They just added unjustifiably rules to it now.