The White House petition process, while as fantastic and people-centric of an idea as I have seen in a long time, inadvertently became a reservoir for comedic electronic entry. There were serious entries, but those became sandwiched by the occasional secession applications and the request for the building of a Death Star.
Thankfully, the latter one was a bit too expensive.
A White House aide, R. David Edelman, recently responded to a formal petition referencing the recent decision to not renew the cell phone unlocking exemption to the DMCA by specifically stating in a blog post that the White House agreed with the petitioners “who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties. In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones.”
Furthermore, Mr Edelman stated, “if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.”
Now, it doesn’t mean that the cell phone unlocking exemption will be reinstated tomorrow, but it does help that the Executive Branch agrees with the petitioners.
All in all, chalk it up as a potential win for consumers, and a win for communication.
What do you think?
[Image from whitehouse.gov via Wiki Commons]
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