OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 1, 2025 ) — Attorney General Gentner Drummond is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt a proposed rule allowing correctional facilities to use cellphone-jamming technologies to disrupt cellular transmissions coming from contraband cellphones.
In a letter to the FCC, Drummond and 21 other attorneys general support a notice of proposed rulemaking, which would enable correctional administrators to implement jamming systems that impede unauthorized wireless communications within prison walls without affecting legitimate service. This targeted approach balances the need for security with the preservation of lawful communications.
“Prisons are supposed to punish lawbreaking and rehabilitate criminals to reenter society as contributing citizens, yet it is clear that many inmates are empowered to skirt the rules and persist in the same activities that may have landed them behind bars in the first place,” Drummond said. “It’s time that our rules and policies catch up with the needs of 21st century technology and stop any and all criminal activity from occurring through illicit means of communication within prison walls. I’m proud to join my colleagues on this effort to support a worthy rule from the federal government.”
The current FCC interpretation of federal rules prohibits the use of jamming equipment, even in highly controlled environments like correctional institutions. This blanket restriction fails to account for the unique security needs of these facilities. Inmates routinely use smuggled phones to coordinate criminal enterprises, intimidate witnesses, and orchestrate violence both inside and outside prison walls. These activities compromise the safety of correctional staff, other inmates and the public.
Also signing the letter were the attorneys general of Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
