Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general on Wednesday in calling on congressional lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at disrupting contraband cellphone use in prisons.
Skrmetti and the coalition is calling on Congress to pass the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act, filed as H.R. 2350 and S. 1137, introduced in the U.S. House by Tennessee Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) and in the U.S. Senate by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR).
The legislation aims to prevent contraband cellphone use in federal and state prison facilities by allowing state and federal prisons to use cellphone jamming systems.
Thank you for your support @AGTennessee!
It is simple: Criminals should not have access to cellphones in prisons. https://t.co/PWcKT1ZdXi
— Rep. David Kustoff (@RepDavidKustoff) March 26, 2025
The bill would specifically update the Federal Communications Act, which currently bars prison facilities from using cellphone jamming systems, to enable state and federal prisons to use highly targeted cellphone jamming equipment in prison housing facilities.
“This is not a partisan issue—it is a matter of public safety,” a letter sent by the coalition of attorneys general to congressional leaders reads.
Noting how inmates use contraband cell phones in many cases to direct drug trafficking operations, orchestrate violence, plot escape attempts, and for other means, the coalition’s letter goes on to cite a 2020 survey that found that 20 state corrections departments uncovered 25,840 contraband cell phones in a single year.
“Each day that passes without this authority represents another opportunity for incarcerated criminals to extend their reach beyond prison walls,” the attorneys general added.
Skrmetti, who has long called for Congress to pass a bill that would give states the authority to jam contraband cellphones in prisons, said Kustoff and Cotton’s bill would “finally give states the tools they need to stop this illegal and dangerous activity.”
Tennessee was joined in sending Wednesday’s letter by the attorneys general of Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
