LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT/Edited News Release) – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement after he led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission supporting a proposed rulemaking that would allow correctional facilities to use cellphone jamming technologies to disrupt cellular transmissions coming from contraband devices.
“I applaud the FCC for moving forward with rulemaking that would allow correctional facilities to use jamming solutions to combat contraband cellphones. Thousands of contraband cellphones have poured into prisons across the country, and inmates have been using them to plan further criminal activity, including assault, murder, and aiding criminal enterprises,” Griffin said. “I appreciate the leadership of U.S. Senator Tom Cotton and Congressman David Kustoff (R-Tennessee) on this critical public safety issue. They have been instrumental in getting us to this point.”
Current FCC interpretation of federal rules prohibits the use of jamming equipment, even in highly controlled environments like correctional institutions. This blanket restriction fails to account for the unique security needs of these facilities…