The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed that a Florida man pay a fine of nearly $50,000 for illegally jamming cellphone calls during his daily commute to work.
According to a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture issued by the Commission in April 2014, Jason Humphreys of Seffner, FL regularly operated a cellphone jamming device during his commute along Interstate 4 near Tampa, Florida. Humphreys was identified following complaints from a local cellphone provider about cellphone interference during the morning and evening commuting periods, and the subsequent electronic tracking of interference by agents of the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau.
Humphreys was finally stopped in May 2013 by deputies of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, who found the jamming device in his vehicle. Humphreys admitted to authorities that he had operated a cellphone jammer for the prior 16-24 months to “keep people from talking on their cellphones while driving.” Deputies on the scene reported that communications with police dispatch were interrupted by his jamming device as they approached Humphreys’ vehicle.
It is illegal in the U.S. to import, market, sell or use electronic devices that intentionally block, jam or interfere with cellphone calls and other authorized forms of communication such as GPS systems, Wi-Fi networks and first responder communications. Consumers who use signal jammers can be subject to fines of up to $16,000 for each day of use, up to a maximum forfeiture of $112,500 for any single act or failure to act. In this case, the Commission determined that Humphreys was responsible for three separate violations, hence the $48,000 proposed forfeiture.
