The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Unlocking Consumer...

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act (S-517) to the floor, approving it by voice vote Thursday. Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., had introduced a bipartisan compromise version of the cellphone unlocking legislation last month, mirroring a bill the House passed earlier this year. Ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, praised the legislation and said all members and stakeholders seem “on board” with the manager’s amendment. Leahy has been working with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., to make sure Congress can approve cellphone unlocking legislation this year, his office said. The vote is “certainly a step in the right direction and we can only hope the Librarian of Congress gets the message,” said Competitive Carriers Association CEO Steve Berry. CTIA Vice President-Government Affairs Jot Carpenter thanked Leahy and said CTIA appreciates Judiciary’s “effort to strike an appropriate balance by authorizing unlocking without imposing obligations on carriers.”