Virginia joins coalition pushing for cellphone jamming in prisons

Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Sept. 24 that Virginia is joining a coalition of 23 attorneys general in asking the Federal Communications Commission to allow prisons to use cellphone jamming technology to block contraband phones.

In a Sept. 22 letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the attorneys general write that “[t]he proliferation of contraband cellphones in prisons and jails poses a serious threat to public safety, undermines institutional security, and facilitates ongoing criminal activity behind bars.”

Under the microscope in this proposal is 47 U.S.C. § 333, which under current FCC interpretation prohibits the use of jamming equipment.

“This blanket restriction fails to account for the unique security needs of these facilities,” the attorneys general wrote. “Inmates routinely use smuggled phones to coordinate criminal enterprises, intimidate witnesses, and orchestrate violence both inside and outside prison walls.”

The attorneys general wrote that under the FCC proposal for narrowly tailored jamming systems, the needs for security and the preservation of lawful communications will be balanced.

“The FCC’s proposal is a common sense safeguard that will enhance the security of our correctional institutions, without disrupting lawful cellphone use outside prison walls,” Miyares said via press release.

In 2023, Miyares was part of a coalition of attorneys general that attempted to sway Congress to pass legislation allowing states the authority to jam contraband cellphones.