FCC chair wants to let prisons jam illegal cellphones

The agency will vote next month on relaxing its long-standing opposition to jammers.

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The US Federal Communications Commission announced today that it will vote on a new rule that would allow state prisons and jails to use cellphone jammers. The goal of the change would be to block use of illegal cellphones by inmates, since having outside contact could allow them to continue engaging in criminal activity.

The planned vote during the agency's open meeting on November 19 would consider allowing state and local incarceration facilities to opt in to using jammers; use of the tech would not be required. Any tech that interferes with communications signals is illegal for non-federal parties to use. In 2018, the Federal Bureau of Prisons began testing "micro-jamming" in federal prisons as a way to block unauthorized cellphone use by inmates. This move would potentially open up similar tools at the state and local levels, and provide a formal pathway for federal facilities to jam signals as well.

It's a reversal from previous policies where the FCC has not allowed implementing jammers as a method of reducing illegal cellphone use in prisons. Previous concerns about jammers suggested the tech could interfere with emergency and public safety communications, as well as creating new security risks by putting more jamming tools into the wild where they could be exploited by bad actors. The bulletin today notes that if the new rules are adopted, correctional facilities would need to meet some standards, including proving "that the jamming solution does not cause harmful interference outside of the designated geographic areas." 

Today's move isn't the first time the FCC has changed its approach toward prisons under the current administration. In July 2025, the department said it would delay implementing a cap on the rates charged for prison phone calls.