SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission to adopt a national rule requiring mobile carriers to unlock phones automatically within 180 days of activation, according to an FCC filing cited by Techdirt. The request matters because locked phones make it harder for customers to take a device they already bought to another carrier. Funny how that works.
The filing puts SpaceX on the opposite side of a fight from Verizon, which Techdirt says pushed the FCC earlier this year to roll back earlier phone-unlocking requirements. Those older conditions, attached through spectrum acquisitions and merger approvals, required Verizon to unlock phones within 60 days after purchase so customers could switch providers more easily.
SpaceX’s position is not consumer-rights charity in a vacuum. Techdirt’s Karl Bode reported that Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite broadband business, has been trying to tie its service more closely to mobile carriers. Starlink has partnered with companies including T-Mobile to extend connectivity when customers are outside the reach of conventional cell towers.
In its FCC filing, SpaceX joined smaller providers in arguing for a uniform 180-day unlocking requirement. The companies told the commission that automatic unlocking would protect customer choice, increase competition and lower costs, while a 180-day lock period would give carriers time to address fraud and criminal misuse concerns identified by the FCC.
The policy fight
Phone locking is a carrier control, not a mystical security shield. A locked handset can be restricted from working on another carrier’s network until the original provider removes the lock. That restriction can turn switching carriers into a customer-service ritual, especially when a carrier adds waiting periods, fees or other hoops.
Techdirt reported that Verizon had argued the earlier unlocking rules helped criminals and scammers, while Bode said the FCC had not produced hard evidence supporting that claim. After the rollback, Verizon began making unlocking harder, including a requirement for 365 days of paid service before unlocking, according to Ars Technica as cited by Techdirt.
The 180-day proposal SpaceX now supports would still be weaker than a 60-day window proposed under the Biden FCC, Techdirt noted. That proposal was not implemented. Bode also questioned whether FCC Chair Brendan Carr would enforce a new rule, arguing that Carr has generally backed large telecom companies’ positions.
Republicans enter the chat
Three Republican senators, Cynthia Lummis, John N. Kennedy and Eric S. Schmitt, also sent the FCC a letter supporting a 180-day unlocking plan, according to Techdirt. Evan Swarztrauber, a former staffer for former FCC Chair Ajit Pai, has also written in favor of phone unlocking.
In an op-ed cited by Techdirt, Swarztrauber argued that mobile locking reduces pressure on carriers to cut prices and improve service. He said reasonable waiting periods to guard against fraud are acceptable, but that unlocking should otherwise be automatic once devices are paid off, without fees or procedural obstacles.
Bode’s read is that SpaceX wants fewer barriers as it looks for a bigger role in the cellular market through partnerships or acquisitions. He also speculated that the sudden Republican interest in unlocking may be tied to SpaceX lobbying. That is analysis, not a confirmed deal or disclosed plan.
The next thing to watch is the actual FCC proposal, if one arrives. A 180-day automatic unlocking rule would be better than carrier discretion and worse than the 60-day standard consumer advocates had sought. The details, as usual in telecom policy, are where the big carriers tend to hide the furniture.
This story draws on original reporting from Techdirt.
