BARBARA A. MIKULSKI MARYLAND SUITE 503 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 2051Q-2003 tlnitrd ~tatrs ~matt Received & ~~~~'tr~23 SEP 1 R 2014 The Honorable Penny Pritzker Secretary u.s. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20230 WASHINGTON, DC 20510-2003 September 9, 2014 Tom Wheeler Chairman FCC Mail Room Federal Communications Commission 445 121h Street SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Secretary Pritzker and Chairman Wheeler: I write today regarding a serious problem that continues to face our nation's prisons: the pers1stent use of cell phones smuggled inside prison walls. Illegal cell phones allow crimindls acro~s the country to continue breaking the law and commit crimes from the inside. We must put a stop to this activ1ty. Fortunately, we have the technology at our fingertips to prevent this type of crime. Cell phone jamming is a technology that has evolved greatly over recent years. It is now so refined that certain rooms in buildings can be targeted. Jamming was relied on heavily as a tool to protect our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If cell phone jamming can keep our troops safe abroad, then it can and should be used to keep our communities safe here at home. In 2009, I asked the National Telecommunications and Informat ion Administration (NTIA) to conduct a ce ll phone jamming demonstration to test for effectiveness and any potential unintended results. That study, conducted at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cumberland, Maryland, showed no interference of the jamming technology with federal operations of the prison within the testing area­ proof positive that we can jam criminals and protect communities. I am requesting that NTIA and FCC work together with the state of Maryland to conduct another demonstration. The 2009 test made clear that it was possible this jamming technology could work. Because the technology has progressed tremendously in the years since the last test, I request that this new demonstration test the technology at a more in-depth level so that we can more thoroughly underc;tand to what extent, if any, cell phone jamming interferes with other operations. I believe careful implementation of this technology would give our prisons a limited yet highly effective tool to combat crime and help keep prisoners on the inside from contributing to crime on the outside. I ask you to consider this request without delay so that our prisons can immediately begin protecting our communities by implementing this technology. I look forward to your response. SUITE 310 901 SOUTH BONO STREET BALTIMORE, MD 21231 (410) 962-4510 SUITE 202 60 WEST STREET ANNAPOLIS, MD 21401 2448 (410) 263- 1805 Sincerely, Barbara A. Mikulski United States Senator SUITE 406 6404 IVY LANE GREENBELT, MD 20770 1407 (301) 345 5517 http://mikulski.sonate.gov/ ROOM 203 32 WEST WASHINGTON STREET HAGERSTOWN, MD 21740-4804 (301) 797 2826 SUITE 200 THE GALLERY PLAZA BUILDING 212 MAIN STREET SALISBURY, MD 21801- 2403 (410) 546-7711