FCC proposes rule requiring carriers to unlock all cellphones

(NewsNation) — The Federal Communications Commission proposed a new rule Thursday that would require carriers to make cellphones unlockable within 60 days after purchase. 

The move would give cellphone users “freedom to take their existing phones and switch from one mobile wireless service provider to another more easily, as long as the consumer’s phone is compatible with the new provider’s wireless network,” the FCC said in a statement. 

Currently, most cellphones can't be unlocked from a carrier until a contract is up or the phone is paid off, preventing consumers from using the phone on another network.

The agency said some cellphones may contain software that prevents them from being used on different mobile networks even when those networ...