Jamming some cell phones would protect the public

After a successful test last week of equipment that jams cell phone signals, state prison officials plan to petition the Federal Communications Commission to allow such a pilot program.

They also plan to ask Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham to seek legislation that would let local law enforcement agencies use cell phone jamming equipment in certain emergencies, according to a report in The Greenville News.

Currently, FCC regulations only let federal law enforcement agencies and federal prisons jam cell phone signals. ...

It seems reasonable that the FCC should trust state and local law enforcement with this equipment. Certainly the ability to block cell phone transmissions from inside state prisons could keep guards, other inmates and the general public safer. And letting state and local law enforcement use this technology could be appropriate in certain emergencies.

A pilot program in the South Carolina prison system wouldn't commit the state or the FCC to permanently change the rules, but would allow South Carolina and the equipment provider an opportunity to show how effective this equipment could be in a real-life situation.

The Greenville News