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Anu Passary writes at Tech Times that the FCC has imposed a fine of $34.9 million on Chinese GPS signal jammer vendor CTS Technology who has been found guilty of advertising and selling around 300 types of signal jammers in the US over a period of two years. The $34.9 million fine is the highest the agency has ever imposed. FCC claims that CTS Technology also lied to customers that its products are FCC approved. According to the FCC document an undercover stingoperation was conducted to stop the illegal sale of signal jammers when FCC agents purchased 10 of the signal jammers sold by CTS Technology. They found that the jammers were effectively able to block mobile phone signals as well as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, satellite and GPS signals. Moreover, some of the signal jammers were able to block signals over a distance of half a mile.
"Signal jamming devices (also referred to as signal jammers) operate by transmitting powerful radio signals that overpower, jam, or interfere with authorized communications. While these devices have been marketed with increasing frequency over the Internet, they have no lawful consumer use in the United States. Jammers are not only designed to impede authorized communications and thereby interfere with the rights of legitimate spectrum users and the general public, their operations also place the safety of the public at risk," per the FCC document.
There are numerous jammers offered on the CTS site, ranging in size from handheld to a rolling suitcase. One handheld model, made in Guangdong, China, and priced at US$240, is advertised as having a range of 20 meters, "ideal for a large room, restaurant, cinema ... Or whilst having a conversation and you want to eliminate others from using mobile telephones." A larger, stationary model with eight antennas is said to cover "all of the popular wireless RF signals including, 2G/3G/4G mobile phone, WiFi Bluetooth, UHF, VHF, GPS, LoJack, remote control and so on."
(Score: 2) by WizardFusion on Monday June 23 2014, @09:04AM
I don't understand why these are used in prisons. Mobile phones are always an issue in prisons, just install a jammer and be done with it.
Just make sure it doesn't interfere with the guards radios.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Monday June 23 2014, @09:58AM
I assume you meant "aren't", and the reason is... because they're illegal!
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by WizardFusion on Monday June 23 2014, @10:22AM
I did, thanks - I misses it on the re-read.!
So, make them legal for specific uses only - which I know will them be open for abuse.
(Score: 2) by iwoloschin on Monday June 23 2014, @11:34AM
Just cover the prison in a faraday cage. It's surrounded by a fence on the sides already, so you just need the top and bottom covered too. Bonus points, this would help prevent tunnel or helicopter escapes!
Oh, and cost naysayers, since when has that stopped the prison industry...we can just make some more stuff illegal and take care of that pesky budget right away...
(Score: 3, Informative) by cmn32480 on Monday June 23 2014, @11:10AM
Maryland looked into doing this after there was a scandal involving a gang that ordered hits from inside a prison in Baltimore.
Based on the article below, the FCC is allowing testing in prisons.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-05-19/news/bs-md-ci-cell-phone-blocking-20130519_1_contraband-phones-new-technology-baltimore-city-detention-center [baltimoresun.com]
"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear" - Norm Peterson
(Score: 1) by Horse With Stripes on Monday June 23 2014, @12:15PM
You can't use signal jammers in prisons because that would prevent guards from using their own cellphones while on the job. It would also interfere with the guards making a little extra $ by selling cellphones to inmates or turning their heads to inmates having & using them.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Monday June 23 2014, @12:57PM
Your view of humanity is amusing : ) Though probably not wrong : /
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 23 2014, @05:30PM
No, I assure you its absolute fact. Prison guards are known to smuggle stuff for inmates, be it cellphones or drugs; some of the female guards even whore themselves out to inmates. If they're caught, its their ass, but the money is too good and the chances of being caught are slim so long as they don't get stupid and get themselves caught.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 23 2014, @05:12PM
> I don't understand why these aren't used in prisons.
A couple of reasons:
(1) Covering *just* the prison and not also impacting people outside the prison is pretty hard.
(2) There are people who legitimately have cell phones in prison - staff, visitors (not just families of prisoners but also specialists like doctors).
A better approach would be to put up something like one of those stingray cell interceptors that the DoJ is working over-time to hide from the public. A smart stingray will transparently let all the calls through and just record them for evidence, a sort of honeypot.
Still not perfect for a couple of reasons:
(1) if it goes off-line it has do so transparently so that legit cell phones continue to work for emergencies
(2) Cell phones are a symptom not a cause, if they are blocked then people will find alternatives like two-way radios.
(Score: 2) by tathra on Monday June 23 2014, @05:25PM
as you noticed, it'd probably interfere with the guards' radios. it might also interfere with the inmates' personal radios, which can be purchased legitimately through commissary. plus lots of guards make a lot of money on the side smuggling those phones in, so why would they want to cut off their source of funds?