Florida Man Faces $48k Fine For Jamming Drivers' Cellphones

An anonymous reader writes with this news from The Independent: An American driver is facing a $48,000 fine after using a mobile signal jammer in his car to block motorists around him from using their phones on the road. Jason Humphreys reportedly used the jammer from the back seat of his Toyota Highlander for around two years before being caught by Florida police. The 60-year-old said that he used the jammer – which transmits radio signals that interfere with mobile phones – because he was 'fed up' with watching others use their phones on the road. A story from late April (before the fine was levied) gives more detail: The case along I-4 started on April 29, 2013, when the cellular company Metro PCS contacted the Federal Communications Commission because a transmission tower along I-4 would suffer in the morning and evening. A week later, agents from the FCC's enforcement division in Tampa staked out the freeway on May 7, 8, and 9 and pinpointed a “strong wideband emission” in the cellphone wireless range “emanating from a blue Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle,” with Florida license plates, according to a complaint issued by the FCC on Tuesday. Another clue: When Hillsborough County Sheriffs deputies stopped the SUV, their own two-way radios were jammed."

Re:Dup

[Timothy Hartman]

timothy's best posts are dupes. It's the original stuff that you need to watch out for.

Re:In other news

[Thud457]

FloridaMan [twitter.com], hero of the people!

This remembers me what happened years ago...

[ctrl-alt-canc]

When car started to be equipped with electronic spark control, it was found that a particular UK car brand was very prone to RFI from CB stations. Whenever the RF field was strong enough, the car engine stopped due to EM interference.
CB radio drivers, whenever they spotted this car type in the London traffic, drove close to it, honked at the poor driver to get his attention, and then showed him their hand pressing the push-to-talk button of the transceiver...

Re:Guy is a moron

[Anonymous Coward]

I heard this one kid once started a thermonuclear war, just because he was looking for a BBS to play games on.
It all ended up OK in the end though after tic-tac-toe proved that all conflict is pointless.
How about a nice game of chess?

Re: In other news

[desertfool]

He said he called his wife. He wasn't paying attention.