COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina officials have asked federal regulators to allow state-level authorities to block cell phone signals behind bars.
Corrections Director Jon Ozmint says contraband cell phones are a major security threat in the nation's prisons.
Federal law prohibits blocking the signals, but the Federal Communications Commission can give federal agencies permission to do so. There's no such provision for state agencies.
In a petition filed this week, Ozmint asked the FCC to change that policy.
Ozmint also wants permission to conduct a pilot program using jamming. A spokesman has said FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will "give careful consideration" to that request.
Last month, a Florida-based company demonstrated jamming technology inside a South Carolina maximum security prison.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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