NBC News highlights that online sellers and companies involved in drone technology are promoting RF jammers as effective tools for drone deterrence or privacy protection, while navigating around the legal prohibitions on the sale of these devices in the United States.
The warning issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) indicates that signal jamming devices can impede emergency calls, posing a grave risk to public safety communications. Moreover, these devices disrupt other forms of daily communication and air navigation systems.
The FCC has asserted that employing a phone jammer, GPS blocker, or any other signal jamming device intended to intentionally block, disrupt, or interfere with authorized radio communications is a breach of federal law. This regulation applies across various environments, including businesses, educational settings, residences, and vehicles. Additionally, local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to independently utilize jamming devices; such usage is restricted to federal law enforcement agencies, which may operate them under specific regulatory exceptions.
The FCC’s warning emphasizes that advertising, selling, distributing, importing, or otherwise marketing jamming devices to consumers in the United States is illegal.
NBC has highlighted that Amazon’s third-party sellers, independent online stores from China, and small domestic companies that specialize in drone-related equipment are not following the law. The FCC has indicated to NBC that it is probing the sale of jammers, including those available on Amazon.
As part of its investigation, NBC News spoke with the CEO of a US company that sells portable anti-drone radio frequency jammers online. The CEO explained to NBC News that while these devices are accessible to consumers with the financial capability, the primary demand is coming from large corporations and government agencies in anticipation of potential domestic drone terrorism threats.
