U.S. Cellular is open to new technologies that...
U.S. Cellular is open to new technologies that may help prevent theft of smartphones and has not rejected any “kill switch” proposal, it said. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed Monday it received a letter from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.,…
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sent earlier that day (CD Dec 31 p3). The letter pressed U.S. Cellular and other carriers on whether they had received any kill switch proposals from manufacturers and how they were working to prevent smartphone theft. “We are currently reviewing Sen. Klobuchar’s letter and will respond soon,” the spokeswoman told us. “U.S. Cellular has not rejected a ‘kill switch’ proposal from Samsung and, despite reports to the contrary, Samsung has never made such a proposal to U.S. Cellular, nor asked for our views or our permission on whether to include one in their devices. As new technologies become available, we will give them prompt consideration in determining their utility in preventing smartphone theft, as safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us.” Klobuchar wanted responses from the companies by Jan. 9. With questions arising about stolen cellphones, the FCC Tuesday reminded consumers in an agency tweet that they can contact their carrier if their device is stolen. The tweet links to an FCC page on carrier contact information (http://fcc.us/19zJ3Vb).