There's been a major shift in the public perception of the DMCA's treatment of smartphone carrier unlocking this month, and following a statement by the White House that it supported changing the existing law, we started hearing about legislation aimed at doing just that. It quickly became a hot-button topic with Congress, and we told you about one such proposal, the Wireless Device Independence Act. Now there's a new one gaining traction, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, but is it really the victory we need? The nice thing about the Wireless Device Independence ...

March is sure shaping up to be a great month for proponents of smartphone users' rights in the US. First we saw the chair of the FCC talk about supporting work towards once again legalizing end-user smartphone unlocking, and earlier this week we heard the White House throw its weight behind efforts to accomplish the same goal. In its statement, the White House mentioned seeking legislation to free unlocking from the oversight of the DMCA, and now we're learning about the first such bill to propose those changes, introduced before Congress as the Wireless Device Independence Act. Democratic ...