Pai Convenes Meeting on Contraband Cellphones; T-Mobile Says Jamming at Prisons Comes With Costs

has expressed concerns about the danger of contraband devices since before he became chairman, including at a 2016 public hearing in Columbia, South Carolina (see 1604060058). In January, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, NTIA and the FCC cooperated on a test of micro-jamming technology at a federal prison in Maryland (see 1801180054). “The most important participants in this fight will be wireless carriers,” Pai said in an opinion piece in a Charleston, South Carolina, newspaper. “They have largely remained on the sidelines. This has to change. So I have challenged each wireless carrier to join me and federal, state, and local officials as a full partner to help develop effective and affordable ways to address this problem.” CTIA and "members recognize the very real threat that contraband devices pose in correctional facilities across the nation, and we appreciate the commitment of all stakeholders to identify and implement lawful solutions,” a spokesman said. Meanwhile, T-Mobile filed a report at the FCC, by Roberson and Associates, on potential problems posed by jamming cellphone signals in correctional facilities. The paper said a managed access system (MAS) costs less to deploy and operate in larger prisons, while a jammer is cheaper in smaller institutions, T-Mobile said. “The study also details a number of detrimental impacts of a jammer solution compared to an MAS solution, such as blocking legitimate use of wireless devices, including use for E911 and FirstNet, jamming other important uses, including GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and creating a significant potential for interference with use of wireless devices by the general public in surrounding areas,” T-Mobile said in a filing in docket 13-111.