The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it will be voting on final rules that would allow state and federal prisons and jails to jam contraband cellphones, for the first time.
South Carolina has led, in conjunction with other states, a decade-long effort to change the FCC rules to allow jamming. Phone jamming is the purposeful disruption of a device and its signal source to block communication. If the vote passes, The South Carolina Department of Corrections Director (SCDC) says the department is ready to start the process immediately. "I told [FCC] Chairman [Brendan] Carr, have no fear, South Carolina will do everything he's asked us to do, because at the end of the day, we're going to do the right thing," says SCDC Director Joel Anderson.
SCDC says cell phones have proven to be the most dangerous weapon in prisons today. "Not only does it cause danger inside our prison system with our staff, but also on the streets," says Anderson.
SCDC says inmates have been prosecuted for using cell phones to "order murders, incite violence, orchestrate escapes, demand money from innocent victims, and run sophisticated criminal enterprises." Increasingly, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says contraband cell phones are used as part of child sexual exploitation cases.
Officials say the case of former SCDC Captain Robert Johnson is the driving force behind this decade-long effort. In 2010, Johnson was shot six times by a man hired by inmates using an illegal cellphone to organize a hit. This incident has resulted in multiple surgeries and health problems that Johnson still deals with today. Since, Johnson has spoke about his experience to Congress and testified in front of the FCC.
Anderson says jamming technology will be limited to inmate living quarters only. "The cell phones are more prominent [inside] the living area. Inside [of] the building where they're behind doors or behind a wall. [Officers] can't be in every cell at every minute," he says.
U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling says targeting inmate living quarters will counter 90% of crime done using unauthorized cell phones. "We'll take care of the yards," Anderson says.
Officials say a key concern is ensuring the technology does not interfere with cellphone signals used by the general public. Stirling says, with most of South Carolina prisons being located in rural areas, this is not an issue. SCDC conducted tests in 2019 and in 2026. Stirling was present for the 2019 test. "I [took] one step into the prison dorm where the inmates are housed. [The] phones just shut right off," he says. "My phone worked when I was outside."
A passing vote is only the beginning. The FCC must develop an application process. Then, states must apply to the FCC to use the jamming technology. Once approved, the agency will work with states and providers to ensure the measure is used correctly. Officials say funding will be an obstacle. "It will be expensive," Anderson said. As of yet, an exact price range on what it would cost to implement this technology has not been determined.
"It's going to be a huge educational process for us on watching how the FCC requires us to do the applications and what they're going to require on the reporting structure after we're allowed to start," he says. "[We'll] do one institution at a time, and we'll report back to our legislature on it, because we are going to need them. [We're] going to have to come to them with information and data to help fund this thing, and I'm prepared to do that."
Stirling says the market will be a factor to watch. "Right now, this is a very expensive thing to do because [there's] only one or two states that, maybe, are willing to do it right now. But as time goes on, this is going to be like handcuffs in prison. I think all prisons will have it, and I think it'll be a cost-effective way to deal with it," he says.
In terms of inmate crimes using unauthorized cell phones that cross state lines, Stirling says he plans to work with other state law enforcement leaders moving forward.
The FCC says its commissioners will vote during the agency's November 19th Open meeting.
