T720 - flickering light on front display

Hi there!

I misplaced my old Fido handset, so I went to FIDO and bought a new SIM
card. I had an old Motorola T720 hanging around, so I took it to a
store to get unlocked.

When I used the T720 on Rogers (approximately 18 months ago) it
functioned perfectly, however now I notice that the backlight on the
small front display "flickers" on and off.

Has anyone heard about this before? If so, any idea how to turn off
the backlight on this small display?

This phone is simply a backup, so I don't want to spend any more money
than I already have...any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
Scoob