Jackson Jambalaya

Today, I announced the FCC will vote to authorize prisons to jam contraband cellphones for the first time ever. Almost 500,000 inmates now have access to them and 25,000 phones are seized in jails annually. Inmates are using them at exceptionally high rates to order hits, run drug operations, enable CSAM abuse of young kids, and many more awful acts. We are now giving state and local prisons & jails a tool they’ve been denied for years. Grateful for the chance to get this across the finish line.

Transcript

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., October 28, 2026—At an event in Arkansas this morning, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the FCC will be voting next month on final rules that, for the first time, would allow state and federal prisons and jails to jam contraband cellphones. Chairman Carr was joined by Senator Tom Cotton and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin for a roundtable with law enforcement officials for the announcement.

Thousands of contraband cellphones have poured into prisons across the country. Inmates have been using them to call in hits, coordinate violent gang activity, abuse young children, and aid criminal enterprises. The FCC Order, which will be circulated to FCC Commissioners today and voted on during the agency’s November 19th Open Meeting, would adopt rules that allow—but do not require—state and local correctional facilities to jam contraband cellphones.

Chairman Carr issued the following statement:

“President Trump has put restoring law and order and ensuring the safety of law-abiding Americans at the top of his agenda. For years, thousands upon thousands of contraband cellphones have been pouring into prisons, and some of the worst possible offenders have been using them to order hits, coordinate violent gang activity, and aid criminal enterprises. Recently, there has been an increase in inmates using these devices to target and victimize young girls, including the creation of CSAM. While the FCC has authorized a range of solutions in the past, it has stopped short of allowing jamming. That ends today. We’re taking an aggressive, but responsible approach to empower those on the front lines to utilize all the options available to them, including jamming, for the first time.

“This is a clear win for the American people. I would like to thank the leadership of the great state of Arkansas for hosting us again today and for the leadership you have shown in working to eliminate this pressing threat to public safety. No correctional institution will be required to use jamming, and this will not be the right solution for every facility. But the FCC will vote next month to allow state and local prisons and jails to use this technology in appropriate cases.”

Senator Tom Cotton issued the following statement:

“Contraband cellphones threaten everyone from law-abiding Arkansans to law enforcement officers. I commend Chairman Carr for taking an important step to jam these dangerous devices, and I urge Congress to pass my Cellphone Jamming Reform Act to codify this effort.”

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement:

“Contraband cellphones allow dangerous prisoners to continue their criminal activities from behind bars, putting correctional officers and the public at risk. These devices have been used to coordinate violent attacks, manage criminal enterprises, and exploit children. We must give correctional facilities the tools they need to stop this activity.

“I was pleased to join Chairman Carr, Senator Cotton, and law enforcement officials today for a roundtable discussion on this serious public safety threat. I am grateful for Chairman Carr's and Senator Cotton's continued leadership on this issue. The FCC's upcoming vote represents an important step toward giving correctional facilities the ability to shut down these illegal communications and keep our communities safe.”

Additional Background Information:

Correctional facilities across the United States continue to be plagued by an influx of contraband cell phones that threaten the safety of prison officials and employees, the prison population, and members of the general public. Despite numerous efforts over the past decade to implement technologies to prevent contraband cellphone use, the problem persists. A 2024 study found that prison authorities recovered more than 25,000 cell phones in one year alone. Two of the participating facilities reported recovering more than 6,000 cell phones each.

Given the breadth of the problem, corrections officials continue to seek authority to leverage additional tools in this ongoing battle, including jamming solutions. This groundbreaking action takes a cue from congressional leaders, such as Senator Tom Cotton and Representative David Kustoff, who proposed key legislation and who, along with a multitude of bipartisan state attorneys general, continue to highlight the critical need for alternatives to meet this public safety challenge.

In the proposed FCC Order, the Commission would expand the options available to the corrections community to combat contraband wireless devices in correctional facilities, though it will not require facilities to deploy it. As the Commission takes this historic step to improve public safety, eligible entities pursuing either of the two licensing paths will be subject to technical standards and testing requirements. This includes initial testing pursuant to an experimental license to prove that the jamming solution does not cause harmful interference outside of the designated geographic areas, as well as post-license grant testing at the subject correctional facility prior to beginning operations.

Jamming may occur only within a Commission-authorized “jamming containment area” where wireless device operation is prohibited, and it must not cause harmful interference outside that area. Additionally, relevant carriers, FirstNet, public safety coordinators, and 911 authorities would receive advance notice of the on-site testing, and nearby communities would receive notice before deployment.

In an accompany Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission would seek comment on closing loopholes that may allow contraband cell phones to operate illegally across other frequencies and services, potential additional protections for public safety users, and possible “quiet zones” around correctional facilities.

Through the implementation of these rules, the Commission anticipates several public safety benefits from disrupting criminal activity enabled by contraband devices, while relying on licensing, testing, technical controls, and shutdown procedures to limit risks to lawful users.