AT&T reaffirms commitment to unlocking cell phones

AT&T Cell Phone Unlocking Policy
AT&T Cell Phone Unlocking Policy

The issue of unlocking cell phones has been receiving a lot of press lately. Despite some recent objections from the White House, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act it is still illegal to unlock a cell phone without prior consent from a wireless carrier. And on Friday, AT&T (T) went on record and reaffirmed its commitment to unlocking smartphones if certain requirements are met.

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Joan Marsh, the company’s vice president of federal regulatory affairs, notes that the recent ruling has “very little impact on AT&T customers.” She goes on to explain that the carrier will unlock smartphones “if we have the unlock code or can reasonably get it from the manufacturer,” adding that AT&T will unlock a device for any customer whose account has been active for at least sixty days, is in good standing, has no unpaid balance and is not locked into a two-year service agreement.

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If all of the requirements are met the carrier will unlock up to five devices per account per year.


This article was originally published on BGR.com