CellAntenna petitions FCC to allow first responders' use of cell-phone jamming equipment to thwart IEDs
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., 18 June 2007. CellAntenna Corporation has filed a petition for rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission that, if accepted, would allow first responders the right to obtain and utilize radio frequency jamming equipment.
The use of such technology by any state and local government and their law enforcement agencies is currently prohibited by FCC regulations -- even when used to prevent remote controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from exploding.
According to the 1934 Communications Act, only the federal government has the right to interfere with radio frequency communication. Jamming devices disrupt airwaves, thereby preventing radio controlled devices from receiving a signal, eliminating the possibility of a bomb being triggered by a call to a cell phone.
CellAntenna decided to file its petition as a result of their recent challenge to this law being denied by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on jurisdictional grounds. The court ruled that such a challenge needed to have been made within the first six months after the regulations went into effect, which even predates the date of birth of the founders of the company.
"Although regulating the airwaves is the primary purpose of the FCC, these regulations must necessarily be consistent with the public interest and serve legitimate governmental purposes," said Howard Melamed, CEO of CellAntenna Corporation. "The denial of counter-terrorism technology to emergency first responders certainly runs afoul of national goals and the will of Congress."
In its petition CellAntenna contends that FCC regulations frustrate the express mission of the Department of Homeland Security and ought to be reviewed and amended so as to serve the public interest and improve national security.
"Our first responders -- especially the bomb squads -- need jamming technology to cope with the methods of terrorists who commonly use radio frequency devices to trigger bombs that kill people," said Howard Melamed. "Protecting the airwaves should hold second place to protecting lives."
Considering the importance of such jamming equipment in the fight against terrorism, CellAntenna hopes the FCC will promptly consider its petition.
