Texas corrections officials this week scuttled a planned test of ...
Texas corrections officials this week scuttled a planned test of cell-jamming equipment, deciding not to follow South Carolina officials (CD Nov 25 p1) who conducted such a test last month over the objections of CTIA and wireless carriers. The…
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test was scheduled for a jail in Austin, by CellAntenna, the Florida company that conducted the South Carolina test and hopes to perform similar demonstrations across the U.S. “At every turn, we have attempted to identify a legal way to perform this test so that we could move forward,” said Oliver Bell, chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. “The bottom line at this point is that we have not identified a legal method. As such, I feel it is inappropriate to conduct the test. I cannot, in good faith, violate the law in front of our nearly 38,000 employees and then demand they violate no law under threat of prosecution.” But an FCC spokesman said in a statement Tuesday the commission encourages the state to move forward with the tests. “We recognize the concerns of public safety regarding this complex issue and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin remains committed to trying to work with public safety officials to address their needs,” an agency spokesman said.