A man used a mobile jammer for two years to stop people using their mobile phones on his commuter route.
A man has been fined after using a mobile jamming device for two years on his commute into work. Jason R. Humphrey explained to police that he’d been using the signal jammer to stop other drivers from using their mobile phones on his route to work.
Unfortunately, the effect was more far-reaching. The 60-year-old, who commutes between Seffner and Tampa in the sunny state of Florida, confused staff at Metro PCS, whose noticed their signals were getting scrambled at certain times of day.
Metro PCS referred the matter to the Federal Communications Commission. After a lengthy investigation, the FCC was able to identify the car carrying the jamming equipment. A police car was sent to arrest Humphrey and seize his equipment. The officers reported losing all radio communication as they got closer to Humphrey’s SUV.
Humphrey has been fined $48,000 (£24,412), the maximum the FCC can impose.
Signal jammers are illegal in most countries. In addition to scrambling mobile phone signals, they also interfere with emergency services communication equipment, which can have a huge impact on accident response times.
Signal jammers are also known to be used by individuals trying to interfere with roadside speed cameras.
Serious incidents of driver distraction are commonplace. Earier this week a woman tragically died immediatey after uploading a self-portrait of herself to a social network.
Leave a Reply