US regulator plans to let prisons use cellphone jammers
The head of the US Federal Communications Commission wants to allow state and local correctional facilities to use cellphone jammers to block inmates' illegal phones. The vote is scheduled for November 19.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency that regulates communications in the country, will vote next month on a new rule that would let state and local prisons and jails use cellphone jammers. The aim is to block inmates' illegal cellphones, since contact with the outside world could allow them to keep engaging in criminal activity. The vote is planned for the commission's open meeting on November 19.
What the proposal involves
Use of jammers would be optional for correctional facilities, not mandatory. Under current rules, any technology that interferes with communications signals is illegal for non-federal parties to use.
If the rules are adopted, facilities would have to meet several standards, including proving that the jamming solution does not cause harmful interference outside designated geographic areas. The change would also create a formal pathway for federal facilities to jam signals.
Background
The move reverses earlier policy, as the FCC had not allowed jammers as a way to reduce illegal cellphone use in prisons. Past concerns were that the technology could interfere with emergency and public safety communications, and that putting more jamming tools into circulation could create new security risks if bad actors exploited them.
In 2018, the Federal Bureau of Prisons began testing "micro-jamming" in federal prisons to block unauthorized cellphone use by inmates.
This is not the first time the FCC has changed its approach to prisons under the current administration. In July 2025, the agency said it would delay implementing a cap on the rates charged for prison phone calls.
