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23 State Attorneys General Urge FCC to Let Prisons Use Targeted Cellphone Jamming

The appeal follows an FCC proposal to permit narrowly focused systems that block contraband calls within prison grounds without affecting service outside.

Overview

  • Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced he joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general pressing the FCC to authorize prison cellphone jamming.
  • Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the change is needed to disrupt signals from smuggled devices used for criminal activity.
  • Current FCC rules interpret federal law to prohibit jamming equipment, including in correctional facilities.
  • The FCC recently proposed allowing correctional facilities to deploy narrowly targeted systems confined to prison grounds.
  • Supporters argue contraband phones enable gangs, witness intimidation, narcotics trafficking, and other crimes orchestrated from behind bars.