Prisons get jamming power—but who pays if it breaks your cell service?
H.R. 2350 — Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025 · Filed by David Kustoff (R-TN) · 22 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 26, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows state and federal prisons to install and operate cellphone jamming equipment inside their facilities to block wireless signals, overriding the Federal Communications Commission's current authority to prevent such jamming. Prisons would be required to consult with local law enforcement and notify the Bureau of Prisons before deploying jamming systems, and states would bear the full cost of installation and operation.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to remove FCC regulatory barriers and grant correctional facilities explicit authority to deploy cellphone jamming systems. It is a regulatory carve-out for a specific government use case, not a market-facing commercial provision.
What the text implies
- Jamming systems operate on radio frequencies and may interfere with wireless communications outside facility boundaries, potentially affecting 911 services, hospital communications, or civilian cell service in adjacent areas—the bill does not require interference mitigation or liability protections for third parties.
- The bill grants jamming authority without establishing technical standards, power limits, or FCC oversight of deployment, creating risk of uncontrolled signal interference and no clear enforcement mechanism if a facility exceeds safe operating parameters.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
jamming equipment manufacturers and installers; correctional facility contractors and systems integrators