Also, let's say you are with AT&T and your phone breaks or you lose it a few months before you qualify for a new phone. You are forced to pay for a new one at f

Also, let's say you are with AT&T and your phone breaks or you lose it a few months before you qualify for a new phone. You are forced to pay for a new one at full price even though you've already decided you are going to switch to T-Mobile or a prepaid service when your contract is up. If you can unlock it and the new carrier is also GSM, you can take the phone with you. Or, if you want a new phone with your new carrier, you can sell your existing phone that you just paid full price for. If it's unlocked (or unlockable) you can sell it to ANYONE if it's unlocked and might get a better price since the potential customer pool is larger than if you HAVE to find someone on the AT&T network to buy it. I just bought a currently locked AT&T phone because I was told I can unlock it for use with T-Mobile. Then I discovered that when it arrives tomorrow I have EXACTLY ONE DAY to unlock it before that becomes illegal. In my case, the scenario described above is exactly what happened to the guy I bought the phone from. Only he wanted to stay with AT&T but when his contract renewed (3 months after buying the phone I just bought from him) he was eligible for a new higher end phone (actually an iPhone 5). I just can't get over how freaking BIG BROTHER-ESQUE this new law is. I HAS to be unconstitutional, right???