The FCC has granted Verizon a waiver from its long-standing rule requiring phones to be unlocked after 60 days, a restriction no other major US carrier faced. The rule dated back to a 2007 spectrum auction and was meant to promote competition, but the FCC now says it made Verizon a major target for phone theft and fraud.
According to the FCC, criminals exploited the 60-day window to resell unlocked Verizon phones – often overseas – costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars and nearly 785,000 devices in 2023 alone. The issue worsened after Verizon acquired TracFone in 2021.
Under the new policy, Verizon will follow standard industry rules: postpaid phones unlock after they’re paid off or contracts end, and prepaid phones unlock within one year. The change takes effect immediately and remains until the FCC sets new nationwide unlocking rules.
Source: Android Authority
