House Judiciary Committee approves cellphone unlocking bill

The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) that lets people unlock their cellphones.

Goodlatte's bill, which the committee approved by a voice vote, would allow people to switch wireless carriers without having to purchase a new phone. Under the measure, people would be able to access another mobile carrier's wireless network on their cellphone without having to get permission from their original wireless provider first.

Before the vote, Judiciary Committee members sparred over an amendment from Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) that proposed to let certain third parties—such as family members or people not affiliated with the wireless network provider—help a cellphone owner unlock their phone. Reps. Mel Watt (D-NC), John Conyers (D-MI) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) voiced concern with the amendment, arguing that it strayed from the original scope of the bill. The Democratic lawmakers said the committee had not done enough study on the amendment and needed to take more time to understand whether it would result in negative implications. The Chaffetz-Lofgren amendment was ultimately adopted to the manager's amendment. The only two Democrats that supported it were Lofgren and Rep. Suzan DelBene (R-WA). The Judiciary panel also adopted Goodlatte's manager's amendment to the bill. It includes a provision that directs the Librarian of Congress to determine whether the cellphone unlocking exception should be applied to other wireless devices.