COLUMBIA, S.C. — State officials in South Carolina have long pushed for the ability to jam contraband cell phones inside prisons . A new federal proposal could soon make that possible.

State leaders say contraband phones pose a serious threat, allowing inmates to run crimes from behind bars.

Federal law currently bans states from using jamming technology, which blocks signals from getting in or out of prison walls.

The Federal Communications Commission is now weighing a plan to lift that ban, giving states the power to jam cellphones in prisons nationwide. Gov. Henry McMaster has supported the move, saying it would “make communities safer.”

But some experts caution that the technology could have unintended consequences. Many inmates that use phones don't use them for crime, but to co

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