Senator Ricketts Is Helping Nebraska Families Find a Better Deal

Families hear a lot of talk about making life more affordable. But what matters is when those promises actually show up in the monthly budget.

Wireless service is one place where that is happening. Under President Trump and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, the real cost of wireless service fell more than six percent last year. That matters because choosing the right wireless plan can mean real savings. In fact, a family could save up to $2,200 a year when switching carriers. At a time when families are still watching their spending, every bill that takes a little less from the family budget matters.

The next step is making sure consumers have the freedom to take full advantage of lower wireless costs.

Today, many phones purchased through a provider are “locked” to that company’s network for a set period of time. That means if another provider offers a better price, stronger coverage, or service that simply fits your family better, consumers may not be able to take their phone with them and switch. The phone and monthly service become tied together when they shouldn’t be. We would never expect a car lender to tell someone which insurance company they have to use after buying a vehicle. The device you paid for, or may still be obligated to pay for, and the wireless service you choose should work the same way.

Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts recently joined several Republican colleagues in urging Chairman Carr and the FCC to change that. By calling for a uniform, automatic unlocking standard, Senator Ricketts is helping ensure that when Nebraskans find a better wireless option, they have the freedom to choose it.

That freedom matters in Nebraska, where the best wireless option depends on coverage that can change based on where you live, work, or travel, especially across our rural communities. A family should be able to choose the provider that gives them the best combination of reliable service and a price that fits their budget.

Right now, making that switch can be more complicated than it needs to be. Carriers have different unlocking policies, leaving consumers to figure out when their phone is eligible, whether they need to request an unlock, and what steps they have to take to make it happen. For someone simply trying to move to a better plan, that can mean digging through the fine print or only finding out when they try to switch that their device is still locked.

A uniform unlocking standard would replace that confusion with one clear rule. Under the approach Senator Ricketts and his colleagues have encouraged the FCC to consider, phones could automatically unlock after a reasonable period, such as 180 days.

That kind of freedom also keeps competition alive on price, coverage, and service. When customers can more easily switch to a better option, wireless providers have a stronger incentive to earn their business and keep it.

Sometimes the smallest changes are the ones families feel most directly. For Nebraskans, it could mean finding stronger service where they live, lowering another monthly expense, or simply having one less obstacle when a better option comes along. Those choices add up, especially for families trying to make every dollar go further.

Having served in the Nebraska Legislature on its Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee, I recognize that addressing affordability spans multiple policy domains. It comes from finding practical ways to give people more options and letting competition do its job. Senator Ricketts deserves credit for recognizing one of those opportunities and pushing the FCC to act.

President Trump and Chairman Carr have already delivered meaningful progress in lowering wireless costs. Senator Ricketts is making sure Americans have a voice in where that progress goes from here. Finalizing a uniform unlocking standard would give Nebraskans more freedom to find the price, coverage, and service that work for them — and make sure the progress already underway reaches even further into the family budget.

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Joni Craighead is a former Nebraska state senator who represented District 6 in Omaha.