SpectrumTalk

Prison/Cell Phone Jamming Update

The Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 has been introduced to address the issue of those who interpret 47 USC 333 as limiting the FCC's ability to authorizing jamming in prisons. It was introduced as H.R. 560 and S. 251. As CTIA has correctly noted, FCC staff on numerous occasions has indicated that jamming is not allowed under Section 333. However, sometimes staff interpretations have not always been correct in every detail. The Commission itself has never addressed how to interpret Section 333.

For those searching for the inner truth of this section, as a public service SpectrumTalk has found for its readers the legislative history of the section. It was passed by Congress in January 1990 as part of P.L. 101-396 which mainly deals with FCC authorization. (It also included provisions for the relocation of the Honolulu FCC monitoring station - which still hasn't happened.)

Here are links to the committee reports.

House Report 101-316

Senate Report 101-215