FCC's Free Speech Crusade Targets Only Prisoners' Cell Signals
Mainstream media might be missing it, but Brendan Carr, a commissioner at the FCC, is pushing hard for the agency to approve the jamming of cell signals within prisons. The Intercept reports Carr's campaign frames this as a safety measure, ostensibly to prevent illegal activities. What's never highlighted, of course, is the profound isolation this creates, severing a crucial, often singular, link
between incarcerated individuals and their families, legal counsel, and the outside world. This isn't about safety; it's about control. America has the highest incarceration rate globally (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2022), disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities. Cutting off communication further dehumanizes these populations and stifles oversight, cementing their status as
'out of sight, out of mind.' One might wonder why, in a nation purportedly committed to rehabilitative justice, the focus consistently lands on increased punishment and isolation. Perhaps it's easier to maintain a system when its victims cannot speak.