CTIA Statement on NTIA’s NOI on How to Prevent Contraband Cell Phones in Prisons

WASHINGTON, DC – CTIA-The Wireless Association® President and CEO Steve Largent issued the following statement in response to the Notice of Inquiry (NOI) issued by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) on how to prevent contraband cell phones in prisons:

“CTIA and the wireless industry will be focused on educating the NTIA, the FCC, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the National Institute of Justice on why they should support non-interfering technologies such as cell detection and managed access to solve the problem of contraband phones in correctional institutions. These are preferred and superior solutions as they are lawful, currently available and would not cause interference for legal consumers or public safety officials. In fact, these non-interfering technologies were successfully demonstrated in 2009 at a Maryland prison where numerous states’ corrections officials were able to observe them in the field.

“We hope that as these organizations focus on this important issue, they join us in supporting stronger punishments for prisoners who are found with a contraband device – and those who supply them.” 

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CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry’s leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, DC.