FCC Plans Vote on Rule Allowing Cellphone Jamming at Correctional Facilities
In Little Rock, Arkansas, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is moving forward with a rule change that will allow state and local correctional facilities to jam cellphone signals. FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated the commission will vote on…
Little Rock Pine Bluff, AR, October 28, 2026 —
The Federal Communications Commission is moving forward with a proposed rule change that would allow state and local correctional facilities to jam cellphone signals, according to an announcement made in Little Rock, Arkansas.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the commission will vote on the final rule in three weeks. The announcement describes a forthcoming vote; it does not establish that the rule has been approved or that facilities are already authorized to jam signals.
The information provided does not specify the calendar date of the planned vote. It also does not detail which facilities or circumstances would qualify, how the rule would be implemented, or whether it would include limits or safeguards. Those points remain unclear from the announcement summary.
The change concerns state and local correctional facilities. The summary does not provide further information about the rule’s provisions or explain how signal jamming would be carried out. It also does not identify any other commission members’ positions or describe public responses to the proposed change.
The next identified step is the commission’s vote on the final rule, which Carr said is expected in three weeks. The summary does not state what actions would follow the vote, or provide an effective date or implementation timeline. Until the commission takes that step, the rule change remains a proposal moving toward a final vote.
Story summarized from the original created by Ainsley Platt on arkansasadvocate.com, see more information here.
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