FCC to vote on allowing prisons to jam cellphone signals

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 23:20 · Archive

The FCC will vote on November 19 on rules allowing prisons to use signal jamming technology to block contraband cellphones.

The FCC will vote on November 19 on new rules that would allow state prisons and jails to use cellphone signal jammers. Participation would be optional. The technology is currently banned for non-federal parties under Section 333 of the Communications Act, though it has already been permitted at some federal facilities.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said jammers are needed to address a critical problem. "For years, thousands upon thousands of contraband cellphones have been pouring into prisons, and some of the worst possible offenders have been using them to order hits, coordinate violent gang activity, and aid criminal enterprises," he stated. The Federal Bureau of Prisons began testing 'micro-jamming' technology in federal facilities in 2018. Law enforcement officials including Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr have pushed for the change.

The proposal faces criticism from incarcerated journalists, who argue the move is actually a response to their use of phones to distribute 'uncensored reports of civil rights violations to news media'. They cited the 2024 DOJ investigation into Georgia's prisons that found 'horrific and inhumane conditions', evidence that was initially transferred via contraband phones.

Previous concerns about jammers centred on potential interference with emergency communications and creating security risks by introducing jamming equipment into wider use. Under the new rules, correctional facilities would need to meet technical standards and prove that jamming does not cause harmful interference outside designated areas.

How it is being reported

• FCC chair wants to let prisons jam illegal cellphonesThe agency will vote next month on relaxing its long-standing opposition to jammers.Engadget · 28 Oct, 23:09
• Brendan Carr plans to let prisons jam cellphone signalsFCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the agency will vote on November 19th on rules that would allow prisons to use signal jamming. Radiofrequency jammers are generally banned under Section 333 and the Communications Act of 1934, with few exceptions, and Carr has noted they've been permitted for use at some federal facilities already. Carr claims […]The Verge · 28 Oct, 18:57

In this story: FCC · Brendan Carr · Anna Gomez · Tim Griffin · Chris Carr · Federal Bureau of Prisons · Georgia · Arkansas

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log