White House Says Consumers Should Be Able to Switch Cell Phones - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

(KCEN) -- You should have the freedom to switch your cell phone to any mobile carrier.

That's according to the White House.

The statement came in response to an online petition to scrap the recent ban on switching carriers.

The ban was imposed by the Library of Congress and took effect in January.

The issue at hand is cell phone buyers can get new devices at a heavily subsidized price. In return, you commit to a long-term contract.

That means you should be able to take your phone with you when you change carriers.

A White House adviser says the administration will work with the FCC to tackle the issue.