CellAntenna Supports the Safe Prisons Communications Act

USA (SANEPR.com) January 22, 2009 -- CellAntenna Corporation announces that it is supporting the Safe Prisons Communications Act being sponsored by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) that allow a state governor to seek permission from the Federal Communications Commission to operate cell phone jamming technology in prisons. Currently the 1934 Communications Act prohibits local and state law enforcement from using jamming devices to thwart criminal and terrorist acts. CellAntenna has been leading a national legal challenge to give local and state law enforcement the power to jam such illegal activity. Illegal cell phones smuggled into prisons is becoming one of the major problems confronting law enforcement. In late 2008, a Texas state senator received a death threat from an inmate who was using an illegal cell phone. CTIA – the Wireless Association representing cell providers is opposing CellAntenna and law enforcement in its attempt to use jamming equipment.

“I applaud the efforts of Senator Hutchinson and Representative Bradley in their efforts to bring the 1934 Communications act to the 21st century,” said Howard Melamed, President and CEO of CellAntenna Corporation. “I call on the CTIA to place their full support behind this bill and stop standing in the way of state and local government law enforcement that need jamming technology to keep the public safe.”

“We would like to offer our help in supplying the right parameters that would allow jamming to take place in prisons while leaving the surrounding community unaffected,” continued Melamed. “Working with federal officials on this proposed law, I know that CellAntenna can show how surgical jamming can be done successfully to assist law enforcement in carrying out their primary responsibility of protecting the public.”

CellAntenna offers a surgical jamming solution that only jams the prison areas while leaving those that are legally allowed to use their cell phones untouched. CellAntenna proved this in South Carolina, where working with the South Carolina Department of Corrections at the Liber Prison facility, CellAntenna successfully held a cell phone jamming demonstration before corrections officials from various states and members of the media..

For inmates, the “New Cash” cell phones are easy to smuggle into prisons since they are easy to conceal. Once inside the prison, inmates use obtainable prepaid calling cards to continue their criminal activities. In some cases they have even used cell phones to coordinate smuggling activities between prisons as well as harass witnesses for pending trials. The problem is especially evident in the United States as the law is outdated compared to other countries that have tackled this problem head on.

The Safe Prisons Communications Act would allow a state governor to seek permission from the FCC to operate cell phone jamming technology, which would make the smuggled phones useless. The devices are currently illegal under federal law, CTIA claims this is needed in order to ensure 911 and other emergency calls can get through.

In 2005, CellAntenna Corporation mounted a judicial challenge to the constitutionality of the FCC restrictions, seeking to permit the use of cellular jamming devices by state and local governments and first responders. After the United States District Court Southern District of Florida in Miami ruled that it lacked jurisdiction, CellAntenna filed a Petition for Rulemaking before the FCC to allow state and local governments to use jamming equipment. The CTIA, of which every cellular service provider is a member, opposes CellAntenna’s position.

About CellAntenna Corporation
Headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, and offices in England and Poland, CellAntenna Corporation provides packaged, custom, and even rapid deployment cellular repeater systems for residential, commercial and government use. The company’s new products provide communication during disasters and where signal enhancement is required for saving lives. CellAntenna is involved in the limiting of cellular communication in prisons and in areas of high security. In addition, CellAntenna works on new and innovative applications for its systems and develops new, cutting-edge technologies. For more information, please visit: www.cellantenna.com.

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