Carriers Say MAS Only Solution Against Contraband Phones

Managed access systems (MAS) are effective in curbing contraband cellphones in prisons, but other technologies aren’t ready for widespread use, industry commenters responded to an FCC July Further NPRM (see 2107120057). The FNPRM asks “whether other interdiction approaches have become feasible" and CTIA thinks "they have not,” said its filing, posted Tuesday in docket 13-111. Other solutions “remain either problematic for legitimate consumers, technically infeasible, a cybersecurity risk, or they are unavailable” now, the group said. Evolved MAS “builds upon existing MAS technologies to provide more real-time and automated adjustment to changes in the RF environment,” AT&T commented. The systems are “more cost effective to deploy because they can easily be upgraded” and interoperable, AT&T said. T-Mobile said quiet zones, geofencing and network-based solutions and beacon systems aren’t ready. The FCC sought comment on alternatives a year ago, the provider noted: “It now seeks to refresh the record on whether there have been technological, economic, policy, and/or legal developments sufficient to overcome those challenges. There have not.”