Consumer Reports – [Note – this is FYI only, not a recommendation or advice] – Here’s what you need to do to make a clean break with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon – “If you’re looking to save money, shopping for a new cell-phone plan is a great way to do it. As I discovered not long ago, it can trim $1,000 a year from your budget. But before you sign up for a new service, you may have to unlock your phone from your current carrier’s network. That’s not hard to do, but it helps to have a little guidance, because the process varies from phone to phone and carrier to carrier. If you didn’t specifically request an unlocked model when you purchased your phone, odds are good that it’s tied to your current network. “When you buy a locked phone, it will work only on that carrier’s service,” explains Richard Fisco, who oversees electronics testing at Consumer Reports. According to the Federal Communications Commission, however, the carrier must unlock your phone after the applicable service contract has expired and you’ve fully paid off the device (or forked over an early termination fee). The process can take up to two business days, but once it’s done, you’re free to take the phone to another carrier. If you’d rather not handle the breakup yourself, you can pay for a service to unlock the phone, but be careful: Federal agents recently arrested two former T-Mobile employees accused of running a fraudulent unlocking scheme. “Do your research,” Fisco says…” [h/t Pete Weiss]