Locked cellphones no longer a lock

With less than a month on the job, new Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is already ruffling a few feathers. Wheeler asked CTIA-The Wireless Association to move quickly toward unlocking phones for consumers.

According to a Kansas City Star report, a locked phone would work only on the network of the carrier that sold the phone. The change would make it easier for consumers to shop for service from other carriers.

Consumers can currently purchase unlocked cellphones for full price, ranging upwards of $650. However, consumers typically opt for a less-expensive, locked phone with a two-year contract. Unlocked phones could cause carriers to compete harder for business and ensure better value for consumers.

According to the Star report, if approved, the U.S. market would move closer to a cellphone deal that prevails in Europe, where consumers often save up to pay full price for a phone and stick with it longer, but switch carriers more often during the life of the phone.

The FCC has been negotiating this deal with CTIA-The Wireless Association for the past eight months.

Read more from the Kansas City Star.