Many mobile operators in the United States add restrictions to every phone they sell. These "locks" prevent you from being able to use your phone on other networks. If you put an AT&T SIM inside a locked T-Mobile phone, the only phone calls you'll be able to make will be to 911. This lock also applies to international carriers, so travelers will be hit with extensive roaming fees for data, text messages and phone calls.
The vast majority of US carriers have policies that, under specific conditions, will grant you a code to unlock your device. This usually only happens when you're a long-term customer in good standing who has a valid reason for unlocking it (such as military service or lengthy international trips). Problem is, these operators are still in charge and they can decide whether or not they want to give you the code. Under current law, this is your only legal option; if AT&T declines your request, you're out of luck.
Fortunately this Friday, President Obama will sign the bill passed by congress that provides an extension for the policy of unlocking your mobile phone. This needs to become permanent law but will not be so for now. However, there is general agreement that "the question of locked cell phones has implications for telecommunications policy and that it would benefit from review and resolution in that context."
http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/29/phone-unlocking-bill/
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