Move With Care on Rules for Curbing Contraband Phones, Carriers Urge
Carriers urged the FCC to exercise restraint in imposing new requirements for contraband interdiction systems (CIS), designed to curb the use of illegal cellphones in prisons. A Further NPRM OK'd in March sought comment on contraband devices (see 1703230056). “To…
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mandate beaconing technology, as some suggest, would violate the Commission’s long-standing policy of technological neutrality and would likely have numerous negative consequences,” AT&T replied in docket 13-111. “Similarly, the Commission should not require after-the-fact ‘quiet zones’ around correctional facilities, as such quiet zones would inhibit network design and degrade wireless service for lawful users near correctional facilities.” Allowing use of jammers, as some commenters urge, “would be not only unlawful, but also would harm lawful wireless users while not solving the problem of contraband phones in prisons,” AT&T said. New rules must be feasible, T-Mobile advised. Requirements “should be limited to disabling wireless service and not require fully disabling all device software and functionality,” the carrier said. Effective solutions are “(1) currently available to correctional facilities, and (2) have already been successfully deployed,” T-Mobile said. “Initial comments provide substantial evidence that carriers are already working hand-in-hand with legitimate CIS providers.”