Verizon wants to wait longer before unlocking your phone

Verizon has asked the Federal Communications Commission to get rid of the rule requiring it to unlock phones after 60 days. In a letter to the FCC spotted by LightReading, Verizon claims the current unlocking requirement “benefits bad actors and fraudsters.”

The FCC first imposed an unlocking requirement following Verizon’s purchase of C-Block spectrum in 2008. It forced Verizon to allow customers to change to a new cellular carrier after purchasing a phone from the company, making it easier to switch away from than other providers.

After some pushback from Verizon, the FCC allowed the carrier to lock phones for 60 days after purchase in 2019. Verizon later extended the policy to TracFone following its acquisition of the prepaid provider in 2021. 

But now, Verizon wants the 60-day period extended even longer, calling the FCC’s current requirement “outdated regulation that has become both burdensome and harmful.”  The company also says eliminating the rule aligns with the FCC’s recent initiative to get rid of “unnecessary” regulations.

It adds that “recent industry experience shows that even a lock of 60 days does not deter device fraud,” which is why the “industry standard” for providers who don’t have to abide by the 60-day unlocking rule is a minimum of six months.

“Waiving this rule will benefit consumers because it will allow Verizon to continue offering subsidies and other mechanisms to make phones more affordable,” Verizon says. “Waiving the rule also will benefit competition because it will eliminate the distorted playing field that currently exists.”

Last year, the FCC proposed rules that would require all providers, including T-Mobile and AT&T, to unlock phones after 60 days of activation.