FCC Must Do More To Combat Contraband Cellphones in Prisons, Pai, Haley Say
A Wednesday field hearing in South Carolina will focus on combating the problem of contraband cellphones in prisons, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said in an opinion column Tuesday in USA Today. The two Republicans…
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cited the case of Robert Johnson, an officer at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, shot six times in a hit ordered via a contraband device. “One reason we imprison criminals is to incapacitate them -- that is, to prevent them from committing additional crimes,” Pai and Haley said. “But with contraband cellphones, prisons have become a base of operations for criminal enterprise.” There is “much more that can and should be done” and the FCC has a big role to play, they said. “In 2013, the FCC teed up technological solutions and regulatory reforms that could make it easier for law enforcement to prevent the use of contraband cellphones,” they said. “To date, however, the FCC has not enacted any of those reforms.” The hearing will be streamed starting at 3 p.m. EDT.