FCC to Vote on Legalising Phone Jamming at Prisons

Deliberately jamming radio signals has always been illegal in the United States — no exceptions, no matter how good the reason. That could be about to change for one specific use case.

The FCC is preparing to vote on a measure that would give state and federal prisons the right to jam cellular signals inside correctional facilities, specifically to block smuggled, contraband phones from working behind bars. If approved, it would carve out a formal exception to the Commission's long-standing ban on deliberate signal jamming.

The Scale of the Problem

The rules are aimed squarely at curbing inmates' use of contraband mobile phones. According to the FCC, prison authorities recovered more than 25,000 cell phones from inmates across the country in 2024 alone — with over 6,000 devices seized at just two facilities. That's a striking volume of smuggled hardware for any security system to be fighting.

How the Jamming Would Be Controlled

Under the proposal, prisons would be required to establish and test designated "jamming containment areas," specifically designed to keep signal disruption confined within prison grounds rather than bleeding out into surrounding communities. Mobile carriers and other relevant parties — including nearby residents — would be notified ahead of any on-site testing, giving the surrounding community some visibility into when disruption might occur.

The Rationale

The FCC and prison authorities argue that blocking unauthorised phones could help disrupt criminal activity being coordinated from inside correctional facilities, including illicit transactions and other operations run by inmates while incarcerated.

What's Next

The Commission is scheduled to consider the proposed rules at its open meeting on 19th November. Given the long-standing, strict prohibition on signal jamming in the US, this is a genuinely significant proposal to watch — not just for its impact on prisons, but as a potential precedent for where jamming exceptions might be carved out in future.