After Obama Inauguration, Local Cops Want Wireless Jamming

On the rare occasions when federal authorities use cell phone signal jammers, it’s to prevent remote control bombs and other coordinated attacks at high security events — like Barack Obama’s inauguration, for example. It’s also a privilege only the feds enjoy, and only after seeking a legal waiver. Now, state and local authorities want some of that action. State prisons say their inmates are using contraband cell phones to conduct shady business from the inside, and local cops, including New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, say they need the ability to jam in the event of a random terrorist attack. Counterarguments abound, like the need for civilians to use their own phones in an emergency and the danger of “friendly fire,” in which one agency inadvertently blocks the signal of another.  Still, there’s movement in the legislative branch. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) have introduced respective bills to let local authorities and prisons jam. Pretty soon, Telecoms may not be the only ones to blame for dropped calls… [WaPo via CrunchGear]