Correctional Services Authorized to Use Jammers

Summary#

The Radiocommunication Act Exemption Order (Jammers — Certain Correctional Services) lets specific correctional staff and their contractors install and use radio jammers inside and around certain prisons and Quebec correctional facilities. The order took effect on March 3, 2025 and is temporary, ending after 5 years.

What it does#

• Creates exemptions from the jammer ban in the Radiocommunication Act for:
  • employees of the Correctional Service of Canada; and
  • employees of the Sous‑ministériat des services correctionnels of Quebec’s Ministère de la Sécurité publique.
• Extends exemptions to people who import jammers for procurement on behalf of those agencies (for example, Public Works and Government Services Canada and Quebec procurement staff).
• Allows suppliers and subcontractors working under contracts for those correctional services to possess, install, test, maintain and, in specific cases, manufacture jammers for those contracts.
• Limits the exemptions to specific purposes: public safety in prisons, investigating or prosecuting offences (including preserving evidence), and protecting property or preventing serious harm.
• Imposes detailed conditions, including requirements to:
  • notify and provide contact information to the Minister and to NAV CANADA before first use;
  • restrict jammer range, frequencies, power and duration to the minimum needed;
  • minimize emissions and human exposure to radio fields;
  • conduct technical analyses and interference tests and keep records of those tests and of every use; and
  • secure and store jammers so only authorized staff can access them.
• Distinguishes between continuous jammer use (e.g., blocking cell signals inside a facility) and sporadic use (e.g., countering drones), and requires extra testing and attention for continuous use.
• The order ceases to have effect after 5 years from its coming-into-force date.

Who's affected#

• Employees and security staff at facilities run by the Correctional Service of Canada and by Quebec’s Sous‑ministériat des services correctionnels.
• Businesses that supply jammers or related services under contract to those correctional services, including subcontractors.
• Federal and provincial procurement bodies involved in importing jammers (for example, Public Works and Government Services Canada and Quebec’s procurement offices).
• NAV CANADA and regional radio/telecom users near facilities, because jammers can interfere with signals in nearby areas.
• The general public who use mobile or wireless services near affected prisons may notice reduced or blocked service when jammers are active.

Why it matters#

• The order creates a controlled pilot to let correctional authorities use jammers as a tool against contraband cellphones and drone deliveries into prisons. Authorities say contraband incidents have risen: cellphone seizures rose from 305 to 846 nationally between 2019–2020 and 2022–2023; drone incidents rose from 266 to 619 between 2020–2021 and 2022–2023; and Quebec reported 1,975 phones seized between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, a roughly 93% increase from 2021 to 2024.
• If jammers are effective, they could improve safety for staff, inmates and the public by blocking unauthorized communications and deliveries.
• There is also a trade-off: nearby wireless service could be disrupted if the devices are not tightly controlled. The order includes many conditions (notifications, tests, records, power limits, secure storage and training) intended to limit unintended interference and to give regulators data to decide next steps.
• The pilot is temporary (5 years) and designed to produce evidence to inform future rules. The order does not legalize unlimited jammer use — it only exempts the specific people and activities set out in the document and only under the stated conditions.