FCC takes action against contraband cell phones in SC prisons

FCC takes action against contraband cell phones in SC prisons

COLUMBIA, S.C (WSPA) - There has been a massive push for over a decade in South Carolina to shut down contraband cell phone use inside the state’s prisons. The Department of Corrections said the contraband phones are fueling violent crime, drug trafficking, and even cartel connections from behind bars. This mission was led by Bryan Stirling, the US Attorney for the District of South Carolina and Joel Anderson, the Director at the South Carolina …

FCC votes to move forward with cellphone jamming, a longtime priority for SC prisons

Confiscated cellphones outside Broad River Correctional Institution on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette)A plan to allow cellphone jamming in state prisons can move forward, the Federal Communications Commission decided Tuesday. The three-person commission’s unanimous vote represented a major win for state officials who have long said jamming is the best way to deal with an inundation of contraband cellphones in the…