FCC to vote on allowing cellphone jammers in state prisons and jails
The November 19 vote would consider optional use of jamming technology, with facilities required to show that interference stays within designated areas.
The US Federal Communications Commission plans to consider rules on November 19 that would let state prisons and local jails block unauthorized cellphone signals. The agency says the proposal aims to prevent inmates from using illegal phones to continue criminal activity through outside contacts.
Facilities could choose whether to deploy jammers under the proposal; participation would not be mandatory. The change would reverse the FCC's longstanding opposition to their use in prisons. Non-federal entities are currently prohibited from using technology that disrupts communications signals.
Concerns behind the earlier policy included possible disruption to emergency and public safety communications, along with the risk that malicious actors could exploit more widely available jamming equipment. The FCC said facilities would have to satisfy standards if the rules are adopted, including demonstrating that their systems do not produce harmful interference beyond designated geographic boundaries.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons started testing micro-jamming technology in federal prisons in 2018 to prevent unauthorized cellphone use. The proposal could make similar tools available to state and local facilities while also establishing a formal route for federal facilities to jam signals.
