Key Points
- SiriusXM warned the FCC that prison cellphone jammers could disrupt its satellite radio service and emergency alert role.
- The company said indiscriminate jamming could interfere with licensed spectrum used by SiriusXM and wireless carriers.
- SiriusXM urged the FCC to proceed only if jammers can operate without harming public safety or lawful communications.
Satellite radio broadcaster SiriusXM has opposed a plan backed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr that would allow federal and state law enforcement to use radio jammers to combat contraband cell phones in jails and prisons.
In a letter sent to the FCC this week, a senior SiriusXM attorney in charge of regulatory matters said the company’s commercial radio service could be aversely affected by the use of signal jammers in prisons because it broadcasts on licensed frequencies that are adjacent to those used by AT&T and other major wireless carriers.
SiriusXM is one of several commercial satellite media companies that participates in the Emergency Alert System, and is the only satellite-based service designated as a “Primary Entry Point station.” That designation means SiriusXM, along with 77 land-based radio stations, work with federal emergency authorities to obtain and distribute emergency notifications that are used by other radio and television stations, the three major wireless carriers and other providers of such alerts.
“As a provider of licensed radio services used by both commercial subscribers and public safety entities, Sirius XM is concerned about proposals that would adversely affect reception of its services,” James Blitz, the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Counsel at SiriusXM, wrote in the company’s letter to the FCC.
Jamming cellphone signals is currently illegal under federal law. But as part of his broader review of FCC regulations, Carr has signaled a willingness to loosen those restrictions in order to combat the use of cellphones by jail and prison inmates.
Carr formalized his proposal in September, and it requires a customary period of public comment. That process was delayed due to the government shutdown late last year, and is playing out now.
The proposal has broad support from numerous federal and state law enforcement groups, who say contraband cellphones allow inmates to maintain their criminal enterprises and commit public safety violations. In some cases, cellphones allowed inmates to arrange assaults and murders against correctional officers and other law enforcement officials, they allege.
But SiriusXM says allowing prisons to jam cellphone signals could do more harm than good, since that equipment might also prevent its services from reaching subscribers, including government customers like FEMA.
The company joined AT&T in expressing concern that jamming signals might interfere with legitimate operations. Both companies license radio spectrum in the 2.3 Gigahertz (GHz) range. Any jammer used by a jail or prison would need to block those frequencies and others to ensure that all non-legitimate phone use is prevented.
“Because jamming devices jam signals indiscriminately, the (FCC) proposal would, if adopted, jeopardize connectivity by guards, first responders, and law-abiding citizens in and near correctional facilities,” Blitz wrote.
As a Primary Entry Point for the Emergency Alert System, SiriusXM warned that time-sensitive emergency messages might not be delivered to subscribers and industry stakeholders like radio and TV stations that rely upon satellite-based delivery if a nearby prison is using a jammer that interferes with its signals.
“Jammers have been known to cause interference outside the facilities in which they are located, increasing the risk that wireless users living or traveling nearby will be impacted,” Blitz said. “In the context of satellite transmissions in the 2.3 GHz band, which are highly susceptible to interference from terrestrial uses, that risk is significantly exacerbated.”
SiriusXM said the FCC should only move forward with allowing jails and prisons to jam cellphone signals if there is “irrefutable evidence that they can be used without adversely impacting legitimate wireless communications.”
