(Telecompaper) The US government has asked the FCC to implement rules requiring operators to unlock customer mobile devices for use with other providers. The petition came from the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which said the FCC should start the rulemaking process immediately. US consumers were previously able to unlock their own phones without permission from their operator. However, this exemption under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was ended last year. Following a public petition to the White House asking for the option to be reinstated, the government decided to move the FCC. The mobile industry group CTIA was neutral on the proposal. In a statement it noted that there are already a number of unlocking options offered by certain providers, as well as a range of subscription plans and more than 240 unlocked devices for sale on the market. It urged support for legislation currently in the House of Representatives that would prevent the bulk unlocking of handsets and arbitrage of the handset subsidy system.