Georgia AG praises FCC plan to vote on allowing prisons to jam contraband cellphones

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says the plan would help stop inmates from using smuggled phones to commit crimes.

ATLANTA (41NBC/WMGT) – The Federal Communications Commission will vote September 30 on a proposal that would allow prisons nationwide to jam contraband cellphones for the first time, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced Friday.

Carr said the plan comes after years of pressure from corrections officials who warn that smuggled phones are being used by inmates to order hits, coordinate gang activity and aid criminal enterprises, according to an FCC news release.

“President Trump is restoring law and order,” Carr said. “He is putting the safety of law abiding Americans first. That is why I am pleased to announce that the FCC will vote, for the first time ever, on allowing prisons to jam contraband cellphones.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr praised the move, saying illegal phones are fueling deadly crimes in the state.

“Prisoners with contraband cell phones are ordering murders, and this has to stop now,” Chris Carr said in a release. “We have heard from law enforcement throughout the state that our most effective solution is to jam the signal and make contraband cell phones obsolete, yet federal policies continued to block our efforts. We’re thankful to finally have partners in the White House and the FCC who are willing to work with us to keep people safe.”

Chris Carr said Georgia Department of Corrections officers seized more than 15,500 cellphones and more than 150 drones last year. He pointed to cases where gang leaders in state prisons used contraband devices to order killings, including the death of an 88-year-old veteran in Tattnall County and two 13-year-old boys in Atlanta.

The FCC said it will seek public input on safeguards to ensure jamming technology does not interfere with nearby wireless networks.