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Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025
To provide that the Federal Communications Commission may not prevent a State or Federal correctional facility from utilizing jamming equipment, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill allows state and federal correctional facilities to operate cell phone jamming systems within their housing units to prevent wireless communications to, from, or by inmates and contraband devices. The bill defines jamming systems as equipment designed to disrupt or interfere with wireless communications and specifies that jamming operations must be limited to housing facilities within the correctional facility. Before implementing a jamming system, correctional facilities must consult with local law enforcement and notify the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, with state facilities responsible for funding their systems.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR)
13 cosponsors
- Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV)
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA)
- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID)
- Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] (R-SC)
- Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN] (R-TN)
- Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS)
- Sen. Justice, James C. [R-WV] (R-WV)
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK)
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA)
- Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH] (R-OH)
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE)
- Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID)
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Tom Cotton’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $80,461
- APOLLO MANAGEMENT $25,600
- APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT $19,800
- BRODIE GENERATIONAL CAPITAL PARTNERS $13,200
- APOLLO $11,600
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Tom Cotton → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Mar 26, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. · senate
- Mar 26, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 26, 2025
Mr. Cotton (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Graham, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Hagerty, and Mr. Ricketts) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To provide that the Federal Communications Commission may not prevent a State or Federal correctional facility from utilizing jamming equipment, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON FCC AUTHORITY.
(a) Definitions.—In this section—
(1) the term “Commission” means the Federal Communications Commission;
(2) the term “correctional facility” means a jail, prison, penitentiary, or other correctional facility; and
(3) the term “jamming system”—
(A) means a system of radio signal generating and processing equipment and antennas designed to disrupt, prevent, interfere with, or jam a wireless communication into, from, or within a correctional facility; and
(B) includes the components and functionality of a system described in subparagraph (A), such as—
(i) antennas, cabling, and cable elements;
(ii) the installation, interconnection, and operation of system elements, power levels, and radio frequencies carried on the cables or fed into antennas;
(iii) the radiation pattern of the antennas; and
(iv) the location and orientation of the antennas.
(b) Restriction.—
(1) In general.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, and subject to paragraph (2), the Commission may not prevent a State or Federal correctional facility from operating a jamming system within the correctional facility to prevent, jam, or otherwise interfere with a wireless communication that is sent—
(A) to or from a contraband device in the facility; or
(B) by or to an individual held in the facility.
(2) Requirements.—With respect to a jamming system described in paragraph (1)—
(A) the operation of the system shall be limited to the housing facilities of the correctional facility in which the system is located;
(B) if the correctional facility that operates the system is a State correctional facility, the State that operates the correctional facility shall be responsible for funding the entire cost of the system, including the operation of the system; and
(C) the correctional facility that operates the system shall—
(i) before implementing the system, consult with local law enforcement agencies and other public safety officials in the area in which the facility is located; and
(ii) submit to the Director of the Bureau of Prisons a notification regarding that operation. <all>
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