Brendan Carr plans to let prisons jam cellphone signals
News Source
β’2026-10-28T14:57:02-04:00
π° What Happened
The head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, says the agency will vote on November 19 on new rules. The rules would let prisons use equipment that blocks cellphone signals. Jamming is mostly illegal in the US right now. Carr says contraband phones let prisoners order killings and run gangs from behind bars.
The plan would let prisons get licenses for the gear. Before use, the equipment must pass tests showing it does not block signals outside the prison area. Nearby phone carriers and 911 centers would get warning before tests and before the system is switched on.
π The Backstory
Jammers have been banned under a 1934 communications law, with a few exceptions for federal sites. In 2025, Senator Tom Cotton pushed a bill to let state prisons use them. Last year the FCC put out a draft plan. Commissioner Anna Gomez wanted a small test first, and warned about side effects.
Prison officials and some state attorneys general have pushed for this change for years. But jailed reporters say phones are how they get news of poor conditions to the public. They point to a 2024 Justice Department report on Georgia prisons that began with phone evidence.
π― Why It Matters
A vote in Washington could change how prisons work and how families reach inmates. It also raises a hard question: can you block bad calls without blocking good ones?
The head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, says the agency will vote on November 19 on new rules. The rules would let prisons use equipment that blocks cellphone signals. Jamming is mostly illegal in the US right now. Carr says contraband phones let prisoners order killings and run gangs from behind bars.
The plan would let prisons get licenses for the gear. Before use, the equipment must pass tests showing it does not block signals outside the prison area. Nearby phone carriers and 911 centers would get warning before tests and before the system is switched on.
Jammers have been banned under a 1934 communications law, with a few exceptions for federal sites. In 2025, Senator Tom Cotton pushed a bill to let state prisons use them. Last year the FCC put out a draft plan. Commissioner Anna Gomez wanted a small test first, and warned about side effects.
Prison officials and some state attorneys general have pushed for this change for years. But jailed reporters say phones are how they get news of poor conditions to the public. They point to a 2024 Justice Department report on Georgia prisons that began with phone evidence.
A vote in Washington could change how prisons work and how families reach inmates. It also raises a hard question: can you block bad calls without blocking good ones?