California prisons will be trying a new way to control contraband cellphones through Global Tel, the company that supplies inmate pay phones:
Jamming of cellphone signals in a particular area, such as the space surrounding a prison, is prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission. Last year, when Global Tel Link's contract to provide pay phones in state lockups came up for renewal, Cate said the next vendor would have to pay for a legal way to prevent cellphone use.
Basically, each prison will get its own cell tower, which prison officials will be able to control. They'll make a list of approved phones that can send and receive signals, and all others will be rendered useless. Installing the systems at all 33 California prisons could cost between $16.5 million and $33 million, Cate estimated last year.
A typical 15-minute call from a prison pay phone costs the person who receives it about $2, according to prison officials. Global Tel Link will not be allowed to raise rates once the cellphone blocking system is in place. In fact, the company will be required to reduce costs to users slightly.
The payoff for the firm is expected to come entirely from increased demand. Last year, a one-day test of a similar system at a single California prison intercepted more than 4,000 attempts to place calls, send text messages or access the Internet, prison officials said.From the Los Angeles Times
