Updated 08/21/2011 05:32 PM
Schumer Wants FCC, Providers To Disable Stolen Cellphones
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Cellphone thefts are on the rise in New York, and the state's senior senator wants providers to work harder at securing stolen phones.
Senator Charles Schumer said two out of five property thefts in the city involve cellphones.
If customers report a stolen phone, major carriers usually just deactivate the SIM card. According to the senator, that may protect consumers' data, but it does not prevent a thief from reselling the phone at a high price on the rapidly growing black market.
Schumer said carriers have the technology to permanently disable a stolen phone by using its unique ID number.
"Believe it or not, right now, the technology exists to immediately shut down a stolen iphone or cellphone from any future use," Schumer said. "By using this technology, stealing a cell phone will be like trying to steal the bottle after the genie's already out. It's a worthless endeavor."
Schumer is calling on major carriers and the Federal Communications Commission to implement the measure in the United States.
Currently, Verizon is the only major carrier that deactivates a stolen phone.