(The Center Square) – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr wants to know why the Federal Communications Commission will not let law enforcement jam prison and jail cell phones.
Cellphones are not allowed in prisons and jails, but they are smuggled in, and sometimes, they have deadly consequences. A member of a street gang ordered a hit while incarcerated, according to Carr.
However, the FCC says the Communications Act will not let law enforcement jam cellphones.
“Law enforcement is struggling to combat contraband cellphones due to an outdated policy that the federal government refuses to address or reconsider in any way,” Carr said. “The solution is simple – by blocking the signal to contraband cellphones, we can help put a stop to violent crime that’s directed from behind bars and enhance overall public safety efforts. If the Biden administration won’t work with us, they should get out of the way and allow our officers to do their jobs effectively.”
Carr sent a letter to the FCC in June asking for a waiver. The attorney general filed a Freedom of Information Act request on Thursday for any correspondence, meeting notes and reports relating to the FCC’s denial.
The FCC’s policy is outdated, Carr said in the June letter.
“Nothing in the language of 47 U.S.C § 333 prohibits the FCC from revising its position to allow state agencies to use cellphone jamming devices in prisons,” Carr said. “In fact, the United States Bureau of Prisons has recognized the potential value of cellphone jammers already and is permitted to use jamming devices at several federal penitentiaries, including at least one in Georgia.”
Carr said he made the request “so that my office may better understand the FCC’s position on the use of cell phone jamming devices in prisons, which we maintain is inconsistent with the plain language of the Communications Act.”
