Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR The FCC has officially scrapped its 60-day phone unlocking requirements for Verizon.
Verizon can now lock phones for longer periods of time for both prepaid and postpaid customers.
While the new rules make it harder to switch carriers, they’re being implemented to help curb stealing and fraudulently buying Verizon phones.
The FCC has officially ended Verizon’s long-standing 60-day policy for phone unlocking. The carrier is now allowed to keep phones locked to its network for longer periods of time.
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In an order released on January 12, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted Verizon a waiver from a rule that forced it to unlock phones after just 60 days, a requirement that no other nationwide US carrier has to follow. Verizon had previously argued that the industry standard for providers not subject to the 60-day rule is a minimum of six months or longer.
What was the 60-day unlock rule? The 60-day unlock rule dates back to 2007, when the FCC imposed the requirement on Verizon as part of a special spectrum auction.
Verizon won most of the 700 MHz spectrum at auction, and in exchange, the FCC required it to sell phones that could not be permanently locked to Verizon’s network. The rule was designed to promote competition and consumer choice by making it easier for people to switch carriers.
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