# FCC to vote on prison mobile signal jamming rules on 19 November

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/brendan-carr-plans-to-let-prisons-jam-cellphone-signals/
- Published: 2026-10-28T18:57:02+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T19:22:39+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/policy/1021165/fcc-brendan-carr-prison-phone-jamming
- Topics: Elections, Politics

## Key points

- The FCC plans a 19 November vote on prison phone jamming.
- Proposed licences would require testing and limits on interference.
- Critics cite risks to nearby communications and prison reporting.

## Summary

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says the agency will vote on 19 November on rules that would allow prisons to jam mobile phone signals. He argues the change is needed to stop people in prison using contraband phones to direct violence and criminal activity, but critics warn that jamming could affect nearby communications and could restrict reporting of prison conditions.

The proposal would let eligible prisons seek licences, with testing to check that signals are contained within authorised areas and do not cause harmful interference outside them. Carriers, emergency services and nearby communities would receive notice before testing or deployment. Commissioner Anna Gomez previously urged a pilot programme, while incarcerated journalists say phone evidence helped bring attention to conditions cited in a 2024 US Justice Department investigation of Georgia prisons; separate legislation has also been introduced.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.