Wired.com has an insightful article on the ramifications of the bill. Quote from the article: “Large refurbishers like Gazelle, BuyBackTech and Cell Phones For Soldiers collect and purchase used cell phones in bulk. They repair them in bulk. And then they put millions of phones back out there, creating a resale market (not to mention new business models and other potential benefits). But they can only do this if phones can be unlocked in bulk. Under Goodlatte’s bill, only individuals have the right to unlock phones.” I didn’t know this, did you? I assumed the “bulk” parties were all shadey ‘bad guys’ – I guess I need to remind myself it’s unwise to make snap judgments especially if I don’t examine the issue from all sides. See the original article at: http://www.wired.com/opinion/2014/03/cellphone-unlocking-bill-passed-good-thing/

The whole article especially the last half is important. Definitely a must-read.