4/15 Weekly Tech Article

FCC Wants to Stop Prisoners From Making Phone Calls

• Prisoners aren't allowed to have cell phones, but they still make their way behind bars.
• Cell phones in jail allows prisoners to deal drugs, run illegal businesses, and even organize murders. 
• To stop this problem, the FCC is pushing to limit prisoners' access to cell phones.
• In 2013, the FCC recommended implementing technology to prevent prisoners from making phone calls. 
• One incident occurred in Georgia when a woman was texted images of her incarcerated boyfriend being strangled. The inmate that was strangling him texted her saying he would only stop if she sent him $300.
• In 2010, Captain Robert Lee Johnson, a former prison guard, was shot six times by a gunman hired by an inmate via a cell phone. 
• The FCC proposed a limited access network and is considering forcing wireless companies to block service for smuggled cell phones in prisons.