Jamming cell phone signals in South Carolina prisons

Federal regulators say they are willing to work with South Carolina officials who want to jam cell phone signals in prisons. Jamming the signals is against federal law, but Federal Communications Commission spokesman Robert Kenney said Thursday the agency understands concerns about prisoners using contraband cell phones.

The FCC can give federal agencies the authority to use the jammers, but there’s no such provision for state and local law enforcement. Corrections Director Jon Ozmint says jamming would help him run a safer prison system.

He has invited a company that sells the equipment to demonstrate it next week at a South Carolina prison. A wireless industry trade group has asked the FCC to enforce the jamming ban during the demonstration.