Cell Phone Jammers Will Be Voted On This Month
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on a new policy change on September 30th, which may allow prisons (federal and state) to install cell phone jammers around their institutions to prevent contraband cell phones from making calls out of prisons.
To this day, cell phone jammers have been illegal, though they see use in the realm of other illegal activities, such as during burgarlies or carjackings. They can be found on the black market.
What makes them illegal is the fact that they can also block calls to emergency services, they disrupt public safety communications, and can interfere with authorized radio signals and other sensitive equipment.
This policy change, set for a vote on September 30th, will classify contraband cell phones as unauthorized communication devices, creating an avenue to then sidestep this original policy and install jammers in jails and prisons.
PC Magazine reports that over 25,000 unauthorized cell phones were found last year, both in federal prison and state prison.
Many welcome this policy change – however, some opponents of this change argue that it will restrict the use of staff cell phones needed by the administration during emergency situations.
What do you think about this? Do you think it’s likely to pass, even though it could cause so many logistical issues with official prison communication systems?