FCC to Vote on Prison Cellphone Jamming Rules in November
The proposal would give correctional officials another tool to stop inmates from using smuggled phones to coordinate crimes
WASHINGTON Oct. 28, 2026 — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday the agency will vote next month on rules allowing state and local prisons and jails to jam contraband cellphones, a move supporters say could help prevent inmates from directing crimes from behind bars.
Speaking at a press conference in Little Rock alongside Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Carr said the FCC would vote on the proposal at its Nov. 19 meeting. The agency plans to release a draft decision in the coming days, he said. The rules would authorize correctional facilities to use targeted jamming technology but would not require them to do so.
