In the fight to prevent criminals from using prohibited cell phones in prisons, law enforcement agencies may be closer to having technology that can interfere with the phone signal in the prison without interfering with nearby communications. In January of this year, officials from the Department of Justice and researchers from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration gathered in federal prisons to test technologies that could interfere with the radio service of thousands of mobile phones that are transported into prisons every year.
NTIA released the results of last winter’s test this month. NTIA said the test used prototype equipment from an unnamed provider and successfully blocked commercial cell phone signals in a cell at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, but only 20 feet outside the facility wall. Restricted commercial radio waves.
Assistant Attorney General Beth Williams of the Legal Policy Office of the Ministry of Justice said in a statement on June 15: “These encouraging test results represent a step in addressing the security threat posed by smuggling calls .” The ability to destroy prisoners’ mobile phones has become an important goal of the US Department of Justice and other federal agencies. Officials say cell phones from prison smuggling to prison are used for all kinds of chaos, from controlling gang activities and violent crimes inside and outside the prison to distributing child pornography and intimidating witnesses.
The Federal Communications Commission passed regulations in March last year to speed up the licensing of anti-smuggling systems in prisons. Because they use commercial spectrum, they require an FCC license to operate. Such systems either detect transmissions or use management access methods developed from licensed commercial spectrum and authenticate the devices that use them. NTIA needs to technically coordinate with the FCC. According to a study, NTIA researchers installed cell phone portable jammer in a storage room next to a 13 x 8-foot cell below the prison unit in January. The study claims that it successfully prevented mobile phone transmissions in commercial frequency bands between 700 and 2170 MHz, but it does not interfere with commercial transmissions when monitored at 20 feet and 100 feet from the cell.
However, according to NTIA, another study is needed to determine whether the technology may pose a potential threat to commercially licensed radio services outside the prison wall. There are still some obstacles. The agency found that the test results are only applicable to their respective locations, and the results in other prison facilities may vary widely. In order to fully cover the detention center, a set of systems-up to 100 cell phone jammer systems-will be required-according to NTIA research, this may cause serious power problems.
Williams said: “The results show that this micro-interference technology may have a local impact.” “This is an encouraging signal that brings us closer can make our community safer and help prevent criminal activities. The solution continues within the prison fence.” The Ministry of Justice said the Bureau of Prisons will use the report to provide a better strategic overview of emerging technologies and conduct further testing.