Press Releases

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Chairman Robert C. “Bob” Goodlatte (R-Va.), Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble (R-N.C.), and Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) applauded the announcement that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Grassley (R-Iowa) have reached an agreement on legislation to allow consumers to unlock their cell phones. After this announcement, Ranking Member Conyers, Chairman Goodlatte, Subcommittee Chairman Coble, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Nadler released the following statement:

“We are pleased that Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Grassley have reached an agreement on legislation that permits consumers to unlock their cell phones and other mobile devices without the approval of their wireless provider. This is an issue of consumer choice and flexibility, plain and simple.  We look forward to working together with the Senate to ensure that legislation addressing this issue, which is of significant importance to most Americans, is signed into law."

The bipartisan agreement, which mirrors the language included in the House-passed Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (H.R. 1123), also expresses Congress’ intentional to resolve the bulk unlocking issue by moving it to report language accompanying the bill.  The House Judiciary Committee approved the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act on July 31, 2013 and the legislation passed the House with a bipartisan vote on February 25, 2014.

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