With Verizon seeking permission to lock phones to its network for six months or longer instead of the current 60 days, a coalition of advocacy groups yesterday urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject the cellular carrier's petition.
"Phone locking distorts market competition, raises switching costs, and contributes to unnecessary e-waste," the groups said in a filing. "It impedes consumers' ability to take full advantage of the devices they already own, forces them to purchase new phones unnecessarily, and reduces their freedom to choose more affordable or higher-quality service options. It undermines price discipline among carriers, makes it harder for smaller and prepaid-focused providers to compete, and reduces the availability of high-quality used devices on the secondary market."
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