2008 Woodie Awards
End call: disruptive devices jam cell phone signals
Courtney Bailey
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: News
It is becoming increasingly common in Newark to see signs in the windows or on the counters of local businesses asking customers to refrain from using their cell phones. Restaurant employees across the state are increasingly choosing to not greet customers until they are off of their cell phones.
Some business owners are fighting back against talkative customers. With a click of a mouse, business owners and the general public can get their hands on a new technological device known as a cell phone jammer.
The product fits in the palm of a hand and sends out a radio signal that cuts off cell phone transmission in a 30-foot radius. However, jammers are illegal and if a person is caught using one, he or she will face a hefty fine - the first offense can cost up to $11,000.
Brian Butler, an employee of the Spectrum Enforcement Division at the U.S. Enforcement Bureau of the Office of Engineering and Technology and Wireless Telecommunications, stated in a press release that the Federal Communications Commission has made the sale and use of transmitters designed to prevent, jam or interfere with the operation of cellular and personal communications service telephones unlawful.
Anyone involved with such activities may be subject to forfeitures of such equipment, fines or even criminal prosecution, Butler said.
Cellular and personal communication service telephones provide valuable wireless communications services to the American public for business and personal communications, he said. Recently, the FCC has noticed a growing interest in devices called "cellular jammers" or "cell phone jammers" designed to deliberately disrupt wireless communications.
He said cellular jammers are often accompanied by complaints that the use of wireless phones in public places is disruptive and annoying. Advertisements for cellular jammers suggest that the devices may be used on commuter trains, in theaters, hotels, restaurants and other locations frequented by the public.
Some business owners are fighting back against talkative customers. With a click of a mouse, business owners and the general public can get their hands on a new technological device known as a cell phone jammer.
The product fits in the palm of a hand and sends out a radio signal that cuts off cell phone transmission in a 30-foot radius. However, jammers are illegal and if a person is caught using one, he or she will face a hefty fine - the first offense can cost up to $11,000.
Brian Butler, an employee of the Spectrum Enforcement Division at the U.S. Enforcement Bureau of the Office of Engineering and Technology and Wireless Telecommunications, stated in a press release that the Federal Communications Commission has made the sale and use of transmitters designed to prevent, jam or interfere with the operation of cellular and personal communications service telephones unlawful.
Anyone involved with such activities may be subject to forfeitures of such equipment, fines or even criminal prosecution, Butler said.
Cellular and personal communication service telephones provide valuable wireless communications services to the American public for business and personal communications, he said. Recently, the FCC has noticed a growing interest in devices called "cellular jammers" or "cell phone jammers" designed to deliberately disrupt wireless communications.
He said cellular jammers are often accompanied by complaints that the use of wireless phones in public places is disruptive and annoying. Advertisements for cellular jammers suggest that the devices may be used on commuter trains, in theaters, hotels, restaurants and other locations frequented by the public.
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