Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, along with Senators John Kennedy of Louisiana and Eric Schmitt of Missouri, has sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr. The senators are urging the FCC to finalize rules that would require all mobile carriers to automatically unlock phones after 180 days.
The letter argues that device unlocking is both “a pro-consumer, pro-competition issue” and states that phone locking acts as “an artificial barrier to switching, innovation, and a fully competitive marketplace.” The senators cite data indicating that American families spend over $2,000 more each year on mobile service than necessary due in part to being locked into contracts or equipment by major carriers.
In their letter, the senators wrote: “We urge the Commission to seize this opportunity to deliver meaningful relief to American families by enacting a uniform unlocking rule, establishing long-sought regulatory certainty, and upholding the principle that competition best serves consumers. Therefore, the Commission should take swift action to bring its pending rulemaking to a conclusion and exercise its authority to establish consistent rules to require automatic unlocking of mobile phone service after 180 days across all mobile providers to allow real competition to benefit all consumers and American families.”
The senators acknowledged concerns about fraud but suggested that a waiting period—such as 180 days—would address those issues while still allowing for increased consumer choice and improved affordability.
Senator Lummis represents Wyoming in the U.S. Senate and has previously served in various state government roles including as state treasurer and in both chambers of the Wyoming legislature. She is also recognized as the first woman from Wyoming elected to serve in the U.S. Senate. More information about her work can be found on her official website.
Lummis’s efforts reflect her ongoing focus on supporting community service and family ranching traditions in Wyoming, along with legislative initiatives such as maintaining national forest trails (source). Her offices serve communities throughout Wyoming as well as Washington, D.C.
