FCC Set to Approve Prison Cellphone Jamming Next Month

The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on final rules next month that would permit prison systems to jam unauthorized mobile devices.

Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency will take up the matter at its Open Meeting on November 19. The proposed order marks the first time the FCC would authorize such technology for state and local correctional facilities.

Data from a 2024 study indicates the scope of the problem. Prison authorities recovered more than 25,000 cellphones in a single year during that period. Two participating facilities each retrieved over 6,000 devices. While the agency has previously approved other countermeasures, it has not previously allowed jamming.

Representative Kat Cammack of Florida has led the congressional effort to advance this rulemaking. She sits on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which oversees the FCC. Cammack met with Chairman Carr and held multiple sessions with leaders from the Florida Department of Corrections to address the security gap.

Last year, Cammack joined Representative David Kustoff of Tennessee and other colleagues in a letter urging the FCC to act. The group warned that inmates were using the devices to orchestrate criminal activity from inside prison walls.

Cammack described the devices as turning prison cells into command centers. She stated that inmates use them to order hits and run criminal enterprises. Her district contains roughly 15 state prisons and correctional institutions, a number higher than any other congressional district in the United States.

"Giving our correctional officers the ability to shut these phones off will save lives and cut the crime being run from the inside," Cammack said. She noted that Congress must now finish the process to make the authority permanent.

Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Richard Comerford called the criminal use of contraband phones a growing crisis. He thanked Chairman Carr, Cammack, Governor Ron DeSantis, and Attorney General James Uthmeier for recognizing the threat. The department views the technology as a necessary tool to protect officers and institutions.

Under the proposed order, jamming would be optional for facilities. Institutions that choose to use the technology must meet specific technical standards. They must pass testing to demonstrate that the system does not cause harmful interference outside designated areas.

The jamming would be limited to Commission-authorized containment areas where wireless use is already prohibited. Wireless carriers, FirstNet, and public safety coordinators would receive advance notice of on-site testing. Nearby communities would also be notified before deployment.

The FCC plans to seek public comment on additional measures to close loopholes. These measures include protecting public safety communications and exploring potential quiet zones around facilities. The regulatory move follows the introduction of the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act by Senator Tom Cotton and Representative David Kustoff, which aims to establish permanent statutory authority for the technology.