Policyband

Sen. Cotton, Rep. Kustoff Pressure FCC's Carr to Allow Mobile Phone Jamming in State Prisons

Carr Supports Jamming, But Industry Opposition Led by AT&T, Verizon, and CTIA Has Been Intense, Arguing the Agency Lacked Legal Authority to Give State Prisons the Jamming Option

Ted Hearn

May 18, 2026 — 10 min read

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Prison: Two Republican lawmakers are urging the FCC to move quickly on rules allowing state prisons to block illegal cellphone use. In a May 13 letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee backed the agency’s proposal to authorize wireless jamming and other contraband‑interdiction technologies in correctional facilities – over the strong objections of wireless carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and the CTIA mobile trade group. “These tools are essential to addressing the serious public safety threat illegal cellphones pose behind bars,” Cotton and Kustoff wrote. The lawmakers said contraband phones enable inmates to orchestrate gang activity and crimes from inside prison walls. They praised the FCC’s progress toward a “clear regulatory framework” and urged it to finalize rules “without delay” to give state prisons the authority they need to protect staff, inmates and surrounding communities. (More after paywall)