Overview

• Chair Brendan Carr announced the commission will consider a proposal that deauthorizes contraband cellphone use in prisons, a step he says would eliminate the current federal barrier to jamming.
• Any adoption would give prisons and jails the option to deploy jamming rather than mandate it for facilities.
• Wireless industry group CTIA opposes jamming, citing the need to protect legitimate and emergency communications from interference.
• Officials point to crimes tied to smuggled phones, including a deadly 2018 South Carolina prison riot, as well as prior efforts such as a 2019 jamming test and a 2021 FCC rule that stalled in practice.
• Carr says modern systems can target signals without affecting nearby communities, while state leaders are assessing costs and he anticipates implementation could begin next year if the measure passes.