Verizon Wins Freedom to Keep Your Phone Hostage Indefinitely

KEY POINTS

•In January 2026, the FCC agreed to waive Verizon’s 60-day phone unlocking requirement after Verizon requested it.
•Now, Verizon must follow CTIA guidelines requiring unlocking only after contracts end, devices are fully paid, or early termination fees are paid.
•Prepaid phones must stay locked for up to a year post-activation, making switching carriers a much longer affair.

In a dazzling display of customer care, Verizon triumphantly convinced the Federal Communications Commission in January 2026 to waive its 60-day phone unlocking rule, letting them keep phones network-locked longer than your holiday leftovers. Instead of the FCC's deadline, Verizon now plays by the 'loose but still kinda strict' CTIA guidelines: unlock only after contracts end, devices are fully paid, or an early termination fee is slapped on—because nothing says 'customer happiness' like paying more to escape. Prepaid phones get a mysterious one-year blackout before freedom. Ars Technica and The Verge reported this thrilling development, complete with a 2026 Verizon phone image smugly locked in the wild.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Verizon just got FCC permission to turn phones into network prisoners longer than your nine-month Netflix trial. Unlocking now requires extended patience or financial penance.

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