Contraband Cellular Bill Passes Senate
Legislation that would let states to petition to operate wireless jamming devices in particular correctional facilities won unanimous Senate approval on Monday. The measure, sponsored by Senate Commerce ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison, would require the FCC to conduct a rulemaking on the topic and establish rules and criteria for the approval of jamming systems and devices. Amid fears of signal interference in nearby areas, the bill also requires the FCC to conduct field testing of all devices submitted for approval and requires approved devices operate at the lowest possible power output necessary. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, sponsored a companion bill in the House.
"This legislation will disconnect the communications networks that prisoners and criminal enterprises have patched together using smuggled cell phones," Hutchison said in a press release. "With innocent lives on the line, Congress has a responsibility to give the nation's law enforcement community the tools necessary to effectively fight this growing problem." In 2008, corrections systems nationwide reported large numbers of confiscated phones. California reported nearly 3,000 phones found with inmates, while Mississippi had nearly 2,000. The Federal Bureau of Prisons reported the confiscation of more than 1,600 phones.
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