(WGXA) — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote to change a law that bans cellphone jamming technology at state prisons and local jails, as law enforcement agencies in Middle Georgia and beyond battle organized criminal activity within their facilities.

On September 5, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr introduced a proposal that would allow state and local law enforcement to jam contraband cellphone signals in their facilities for the first time.

"Contraband cellphones have been pouring into state and federal prisons by literally the tens of thousands, including all across Georgia, and they are being used to perpetrate some of the most heinous crimes," said Carr.

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In May, WGXA uncovered how drones have been an effective tool for those attempting to smuggle phones, weapons and drugs inside of Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Ga., and prisons around the state.

Drones seized from attempted drops at Washington State Prison (Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Office){p}{/p}

Just last year, the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) seized over 15,500 cell phones and 150 drones and told WGXA that gang and cartel members control a "multi-million dollar contraband trade" within its facilities using drones.

Officials at the Georgia Attorney General's Office said that this was just one of the ways contraband cell phones have been used to facilitate crimes in and outside prisons across the state.

"Cell phones aren't just so they can talk with people on the outside and catch up about Sunday sports games," said Deputy Attorney General John Fowler. "They're using them to facilitate trafficking in drugs, trafficking in children, murders on the outside, gang activity. It's really a big problem."

Drone Drop Contraband recovered from Washington State Prison (Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Office){p}{/p}

Fowler cited how, in 2021, an 88-year-old retired veteran was mistakenly murdered in Tattnall County after an incarcerated gang leader set up a hit using a contraband cellphone in a Georgia prison. The attorney general's office also cites how two 13-year-old boys were killed in a drive-by shooting ordered by another gang leader incarcerated in a state prison.

"Most of the time, we put people behind bars and just assume that their ability to harm ordinary Americans living in their communities ends, but that's not the case," said Chairman Carr. "Contraband cell phones are being used to orchestrate hits, to run drug operations and otherwise orchestrate criminal activities."

In response, state and local officials in Georgia and across the U.S. have been advocating for Congress and the FCC to change Section 333 of the Communications Act of 1934, which bans the use of cell phone jamming devices in prisons and jails due to potential threats to public safety.

Carr decided that the FCC should take action after he visited Varner Unit supermax prison with state officials in Arkansas.

"What we found there was really quite shocking," said Carr. "The law enforcement officials that work inside these prisons told us directly that probably the hardest and most life-threatening portion of their job is identifying and finding contraband cellphones.

He said he was told that these devices are "the root of so many of the evils that take place inside prisons," and heard stories where prisoners and inmates would "do almost anything to get and then retain those contraband cellphones."

Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr discusses a proposal to reinterpret the law banning cellphone jamming technology in state prisons across the country (Credit: WGXA){p}{/p}

Carr says that calls for change from attorneys general around the country also played a role in his proposal for the FCC to vote to reinterpret the law.

"They have been fighting for a long time to get law enforcement in their jurisdictions the necessary tools," said Carr. "I think their advocacy over years has helped change minds here in Washington, and that's why we are able to move forward with this planned vote."

He explained that the current federal law prohibits the use of jamming on "authorized devices," so by classifying contraband cell phones as "non-authorized devices," they could implement jamming technology within the parameters of the law.

When it comes to the impact of jamming technology on public safety, Carr says that advances in technology would allow law enforcement to use cellphone jammers without affecting the day-to-day communications of citizens living near these facilities.

"People are concerned that jamming could go too broad and go well beyond the walls of the prison...we're sensitive to that. I think that's part of the reason why it's taken the federal government so long to get here, but the answer is that the technology has evolved in recent years, and we can really sort of narrow, targeted jamming over a defined geography," said Carr. "Wherever we authorize this, it doesn't have to spill over and have negative effects on people who are legitimately using their cellphones nearby. "

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Carr added that while cellphone jammers may not be implemented at every facility, and other tools like contraband interdiction technology are useful in some environments, he wants to ensure law enforcement officials have the tools they need to prevent the use of contraband cellphones in prisons in Middle Georgia and across the country.

The FCC board will vote on the proposal on Tuesday, September 30. If passed, Carr says the board will develop a record and reach a final decision as early as next year.

"We're moving as quickly as we can because we believe that lives are at stake here," Carr said.