The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has previously affirmed an employer's policy that bans the use of cell phones by employees in the workplace for safety reasons. In a separate ruling, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently upheld a fine against an employer for employing signal jammers to prevent cell phone usage by employees at work.

The use of signal jammers, which suppress, block, or interfere with authorized radio frequencies and communications, is illegal under the federal Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the "Act"), with a few limited exceptions. Such mobile jammers pose a direct threat to public safety by preventing individuals from making emergency calls to 911, disrupting the communications of first responders, and interfering with vital safety communications in aviation and maritime operations.

According to the Act, the operation or use of any device designed to transmit energy, communications, or signals by radio is prohibited within the United States unless it has received the necessary licensing or authorization. The Act further mandates that no person shall intentionally or maliciously disrupt or interfere with the radio communications of any station licensed or authorized under this chapter or operated by the United States Government.

Moreover, the Act articulates that "No person shall manufacture, import, sell, offer for sale, or transport a device or household electronic device or system that does not conform to the regulations established under this section, nor shall they utilize a device that is not compliant with the regulations promulgated under this section." It is required that radio frequency devices receive authorization from the Federal Communications Commission before they can be employed.

Therefore, a jamming device is not eligible for certification or authorization, as its principal aim is to disrupt or block authorized radio communications. The implementation of such a device would threaten the integrity of the nation's communications infrastructure. Hence, a jamming device does not align with the technical standards of the FCC and cannot be legally utilized in the United States.

In this situation, the FCC Enforcement Bureau probed a Texas warehouse business following an interference complaint lodged by AT&T. The owner of the business confessed to using a signal jammer to inhibit employees from accessing their cell phones while working. The FCC indicated that the owner admitted her son had been warned by an AT&T representative about the illegality of such devices. Additionally, the owner informed FCC agents that she had disposed of the jamming device and was not willing to retrieve it or indicate its location, although she did suggest selling it to the agents, a proposal that was turned down.