Jamming Pilot Would Follow Trump Policies in Other Areas: FSF
Free State Foundation President Randolph May laid out in a filing Monday the case for a pilot program before the FCC approves an order allowing prison officials to more broadly jam cellphone signals. Industry experts say a pilot may be the FCC’s best option, given the level of concern raised by the wireless industry (see 2601020006). Reply comments were due Monday in docket 13-111.
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While many commenters agree that contraband devices are a problem, “unsurprisingly, there is widespread agreement among interested parties that the means proposed by the Commission to achieve its objective is highly problematic,” May wrote. The FCC should approve “a properly constructed pilot program and carefully analyze the results before adopting any final rules.”
May noted that the Administrative Conference of the U.S. recognizes that agencies can benefit from collecting data through pilots “to test regulatory alternatives before implementing final rules.” Two of President Donald Trump's recent executive orders also rely on pilot programs “to gather technical data to inform regulatory proceedings.”