$48,000 fine for a cell phone jammer

[ChrisSmolinski]

Federal Communications Commission FCC 16-66
Before the
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, DC 20554
In the Matter of
Jason R. Humphreys
Seffner, Florida
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File No.:  EB-FIELDSCR-13-00008645
NAL/Acct. No.:  201432700003
FRN:  0023473317  
FORFEITURE ORDER
Adopted: May 24, 2016 Released:  May 25, 2016
By the Commission:
1. We impose a penalty of $48,000 against Mr. Jason R. Humphreys for using a cell phone
jamming device in his car during his daily commute between Seffner and Tampa, Florida. Mr.
Humphreys’ illegal operation of the jamming device continued for up to two years, caused actual
interference to cellular service along a significant portion of Interstate 4, and disrupted police and other
emergency communications.  
2. On April 29, 2014, the Commission issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture
(NAL) proposing a $48,000 forfeiture against Mr. Humphreys for willful and repeated violations of
Sections 301, 302(b), and 333 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Act) and Sections
2.805(a) and 15.1(c) of the Commission’s rules by unauthorized operation of an illegal jamming device,
and causing intentional interference.
1
  Mr. Humphreys has not filed a response to the NAL.
2
  Based on the
information before us, we affirm the forfeiture proposed in the NAL.
3. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to Section 503(b) of the Act
3
and Section
1.80 of the Commission’s rules,
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Mr. Jason R. Humphreys IS LIABLE FOR A MONETARY
FORFEITURE in the amount of forty-eight thousand dollars ($48,000) for willfully and repeatedly
violating Sections 301, 302(b), and 333 of the Act
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and Sections 2.805(a) and 15.1(c) of the
Commission’s rules.
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1
The NAL includes a more complete discussion of the facts and history of this case and is incorporated herein by
reference.  Jason R. Humphreys, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, 29 FCC Rcd 5476, 5477 (2014); 47
U.S.C. §§ 301, 302a(b), 333; 47 CFR §§ 2.805(a), 15.1(c).  
2
In April 2014, Enforcement Bureau staff mailed to Mr. Humphreys via certified mail, return receipt requested, a
copy of the NAL, in accordance with its terms, and received the return receipt.  In June 2014, and December 2015,
staff mailed two notices to Mr. Humphreys advising him of his options, including demonstrating an inability to pay.
Both certified letters were returned as unclaimed. See Letter to Mr. Jason R. Humphreys from Ralph M. Barlow,
District Director, FCC Enforcement Bureau, Tampa Field Office (Jun. 19, 2014); Letter to Mr. Jason R. Humphreys
from JoAnn Lucanik, Deputy Chief, Spectrum Enforcement Division, FCC Enforcement Bureau (Dec. 15, 2015).  
Further, Enforcement Bureau staff attempted on three occasions to reach Mr. Humphreys by phone – once in June of
2014, and twice in late 2015.  Staff spoke to Mr. Humphreys once but was disconnected, and he did not answer
staff’s call to him immediately thereafter.  

[radiozed]

Okay, I'll ask it because I'm just dying to hear the thoughts of others.  How in the heck did they catch him?  I've seen cell phone jammers before and they're no bigger than the radar detectors people would put on the dashboard.  So, unlikely he had any external antenna.  You suppose it was as simple as the FCC (after getting complaints) sitting along the highway for a few mornings and waiting for the agent's phone to blip out momentarily, then pull over the car they most likely suspected?  Seems like it would normally be quite difficult to catch a moving radio target like that.  I think about the morning commute traffic in the metro area where I live and it seems like it would be nearly impossible to single out one car with a jammer out of the thousands in the morning gridlock. 

[Pigmeat]

It did take them two years to catch him after becoming aware of the jamming. Either he bragged about what he was doing, or someone who drove the same general route to work as he did noticed their phone went wacky when car X was around.

[Token]

The cell phone techs were fighting a cell tower that was failing at the same time every work day.  When they investigated it they found a source of wideband noise that popped up every day at the same time.  They got the FCC involved, and the FCC noticed that 3 days in a row the broadband noise was present at the same time as a blue Toyota Highlander was.  They noted the license plate number of the Toyota.  When the sheriffs office stopped the car they noticed that their 800 MHz comms was out as they approached the vehicle.  This all took place in April and May of 2013.

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db0429/FCC-14-55A1.pdf

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