Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Cell phone jammers beware: The FCC is after you

Molly McHugh
By

cell phone jammerThey are the hated locales of phone addicts: libraries, movies theatres, school classrooms. Those places where no matter how much you pay for your phones’s superior signal, you find yourself trapped in a dead zone. In many cases, cell phone jammers are to blame: Tools that can block cellular-enabled devices from receiving signals from stations.

Cell phone jammers or signal blockers have been illegal for some time now, and while their acceptance is an issue of debate, the FCC’s position on them is not. According to Navigadget, the commission decided to increase its efforts to shutdown and fine anyone using the devices. In a press release last month, FCC enforcement bureau chief Michelle Ellison explained the renewed interested in eliminating the mechanisms. “Jamming devices create serious risks. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be intensifying our efforts through partnerships with law enforcement agencies to crack down on those who continue to violate the law. Through education, outreach, and aggressive enforcement, we’re tackling this problem head on.”

Recommended Videos

Jammers are used for a variety of situations, generally to keep out unwanted cell phone interruptions in public places. And while uppity restaurant-goers may appreciate their hushed meals, the FCC is more worried about the havoc the devices can create. “While people who use jammers may think they are only silencing disruptive conversations or disabling unwanted GPS capabilities, they could also be preventing a scared teenager from calling 9-1-1, an elderly person from placing an urgent call to a doctor, or a rescue team from homing in on the location of severely injured person. The price for one person’s moment of peace or privacy, could be the safety and well-being of others.”

Related

Obviously, these are all very ethical reasons to eliminate the use of cell phone jammers. But of course, there are opponents, who mainly argue that places like hospitals, airports, and prisons should be able to block signals to prohibit convicts from making unobserved calls. ComputerWorld’s Mike Elgan points to a myriad of examples where dangerous felons have gotten their hands on cell phones and attempted to use them for further illegal activity. For example, one imprisoned Philadelphia gang member was able to organize a rival’s murder using a phone.

For the time being, it appears that the FCC will continue to fight cell phone jammers, and any dead zones out there may want to rethink operating the devices in lieu of the bureau’s increased attention.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
The best small business cell phone plans
best small business cell phone plans plan feature image

Just as one shoe size can't fit all, there's no single cell phone plan that will suit every small company. But there are numerous high-quality plans that are worth considering as they strive to meet the needs of different types of businesses. To settle on the best cell phone plan for your business, you first want to figure out what kind of plan best fits your company.

Business owners generally buy and pay for employee cell phones or plans or both when workers spend at least some part of their time off-site. With employees, you may want to track hours and data. In that case, to streamline operation and collaboration, a specialized business cell phone plan might be optimal. Today, more American businesses are accommodating work-at-home schedules that avoid meetings and travel, but note that quarantines and shelter-in-place orders will not last forever, so it's a good idea to take the entire spectrum of your business activities into account.
How to choose a plan
There are numerous factors to reflect on when choosing a cell phone plan for your small company. Here are some major issues you'll want to consider.

Read more
6 surprising reasons you should buy an iPhone instead of Android
iphone 11 pro max vs pixel 4 xl screen

We have heard the same arguments from the Android faithful for so long that they have become accepted wisdom. If you want a cheap phone, you need an Android. If you want to make a phone personally yours, you need Android. If you want the coolest new features, you need Android.

I question these pillars of the pro-Android argument. What if an iPhone actually costs less than an Android? What if customization is also possible on the iPhone? And what if all that Android hardware bragging is just hot air?
The iPhone is a better budget device
You can easily find a great phone on either side for $1,000, but what if you only have $300 to spend, or less? Common wisdom says buy an Android, and big brands like Samsung, Motorola, and LG offer fine phones in that range. At Apple, the cheapest new phone is a $399 iPhone SE.

Read more
This rotary cell phone actually works — and you can buy it, too
A rotary cell phone.

Looking like the kind of contraption that a 1950s engineer might have come up with if asked to create a “futuristic phone that you can carry around,” this seemingly early attempt at a cell phone is, in fact, a recently designed device that actually works. And you can buy it, too.

The rotary cell phone is the work of Justine Haupt, an engineer at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Haupt documented the development of the device on her website, describing it as a “quick and dirty project.”

Read more