Kustoff Bill Would Authorize Cellphone Jamming in Prisons

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 28) — U.S. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced legislation March 26 to allow cellphone jamming systems to be deployed inside federal and state correctional housing units, aiming to curb criminal activity coordinated through contraband phones.

Titled the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025, the bill would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from blocking prisons from operating narrowly targeted jamming systems. These systems are defined in the bill as any radio signal network designed to disrupt, prevent, or interfere with wireless communication into, from, or within a correctional facility. The definition extends to include antennas, cabling, power levels, radiation patterns, and signal routing infrastructure.

Under current federal law, state prison systems are barred from operating jamming technology, even in secure inmate housing areas. The Kustoff-Cotton measure would lift that restriction, allowing prison administrators to interfere with communications sent to or from contraband devices or incarcerated individuals, provided the jamming is confined to housing units.

The bill requires that any state facility operating such systems must fund all installation and operational costs without federal support. Before implementation, prison officials would be required to consult with local law enforcement and other public safety agencies in the surrounding jurisdiction and submit a formal notification to the Director of the Bureau of Prisons.

Kustoff, a former U.S. Attorney, described contraband cellphone use as a serious and growing threat to public safety. “It should be impossible for prisoners to organize gang activity, traffic drugs, and coordinate any other wrongdoing from behind bars,” he said.

Recent incidents cited by the bill’s sponsors include a 2024 case in which inmates in Georgia allegedly used smuggled phones to order the killing of two teenagers at a birthday party in Atlanta. That year, Georgia officials reported confiscating over 15,500 illegal cellphones from state prisons.

The bill is co-sponsored in the House by Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Randy Weber (R-TX), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Michael Guest (R-MS), and Mike Collins (R-GA). As of March 28, it had not yet been assigned a resolution number or committee referral.

If enacted, the legislation would give state corrections departments, including the Tennessee Department of Correction, the authority to deploy signal-jamming systems within prison housing units without violating federal law—so long as the operation remains confined and coordinated with local enforcement.

Source: U.S. House press release, March 26, 2025; draft bill text reviewed from internal file.