S 517 · 113th Congress 2013–2015, ended

Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act

Fact sheet

Latest action · Aug 1, 2014 Became Public Law No: 113-144.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedMar 11, 2013
  2. Passed SenateJul 15, 2014
  3. Passed HouseJul 25, 2014
  4. To the PresidentJul 28, 2014
  5. Became lawAug 1, 2014

Summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on July 10, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act - Repeals a Library of Congress (LOC) rulemaking determination, made upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, regarding the circumvention of technological measures controlling access to copyrighted software on wireless telephone handsets (mobile telephones) for the purpose of connecting to different wireless telecommunications networks (a practice commonly referred to as "unlocking" such devices). Reestablishes, as an exemption to provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) prohibiting such circumvention, a previous LOC rule permitting the use of computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of such computer program solely to connect to such a network and access to the network is authorized by the network operator, thus permitting unlocked phones.

Directs the Librarian of Congress, upon the recommendation of the Register, to determine whether to extend such exemption to include any other category of wireless devices in addition to wireless telephone handsets (e.g., tablets and other mobile broadband-enabled devices).

Allows such circumvention (unlocking) to be initiated by the owner of such a device, by another person at the direction of the owner, or by a provider of a commercial mobile radio service or a commercial mobile data service at the direction of such owner or other person, solely in order to enable such owner or a family member of such owner to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when such connection is authorized by the operator of such network.

Prohibits this Act from being construed to alter any party's rights under existing law.

Cosponsors 10

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 11, 2013 to Jul 10, 2014, with 5 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-MNAl FrankenOriginalMar 11, 2013
D-MNAmy KlobucharOriginalMar 11, 2013
R-IAChuck GrassleyOriginalMar 11, 2013
R-UTMike LeeOriginalMar 11, 2013
R-UTOrrin G. HatchOriginalMar 11, 2013
D-RISheldon WhitehouseMar 13, 2013
R-SDJohn ThuneApr 15, 2013
D-COMichael F. BennetJul 9, 2014
D-DEChristopher A. CoonsJul 10, 2014
D-CTRichard BlumenthalJul 10, 2014

Actions 20

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Aug 1, 2014Became Public Law No: 113-144.
  2. Aug 1, 2014Signed by President.
  3. Jul 28, 2014Presented to President.
  4. Jul 25, 2014Considered by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR H6835-6836)
  5. Jul 25, 2014Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 1123Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition ActIdentical billFeb 26, 2014

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. —Enrolled Bill
  2. Jul 15, 2014Engrossed in Senate
  3. Jul 10, 2014Reported to Senate
  4. Mar 11, 2013Introduced in Senate

Support LegiList

This page is free, carries no paywall, and is built and maintained by one person. If the record here is useful to you, a few dollars keeps it going.

Processed by Stripe in a separate window. LegiList never sees card details.

Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.