Georgia CommonsSB 470: "Emergency & Public Safety Signal Protection Act"; enact
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-07-01
Georgia's SB470 would make it a felony to possess, use, sell, or manufacture 'signal jammers' that block cell, GPS, radio, or emergency communications, with harsher penalties for jamming public safety or critical infrastructure signals.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law currently has no specific statute banning devices that block or interfere with wireless, cellular, radar, GPS, radio, telephone, or cable signals. This bill, known as the Emergency & Public Safety Signal Protection Act, adds a new Code section making it illegal to possess or operate such a 'signal jammer' with intent to interfere with those signals, and separately bans possessing, manufacturing, selling, or importing one in Georgia at all. Penalties range from one to seven years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine for general violations, rising to one to ten years and up to $25,000 if the jamming targets a public safety agency, a 911 call center, or critical infrastructure like power, water, or healthcare systems. Judges cannot suspend, stay, or defer these sentences. Property used to commit these crimes can be seized through civil forfeiture, and the Attorney General can bring those forfeiture cases. Devices authorized by federal law or used by law enforcement and public safety agencies are exempt. The law would take effect July 1, 2026.
What the bill does
- Creates a new Georgia crime for possessing or operating a signal jammer with intent to interfere with wireless, cellular, radar, GPS, radio, telephone, or cable signals.
- Separately criminalizes possessing, manufacturing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, or importing a signal jammer anywhere in Georgia.
- Sets felony penalties of one to seven years and up to $10,000 for general jamming, rising to one to ten years and up to $25,000 if the target is a public safety agency, 911 center, or critical infrastructure.
- Bars judges from suspending, staying, deferring, or withholding these sentences and says the crime cannot merge with other offenses.
- Declares signal jammers and related property used in these crimes to be contraband subject to civil forfeiture, and lets the Attorney General bring forfeiture cases.
- Exempts devices authorized under federal law or the FCC, and use by public safety agencies and other legally authorized entities.
Who it affects
Anyone who possesses, sells, manufactures, or imports signal-jamming devices in Georgia; people who use jammers to interfere with cell, GPS, radio, or emergency communications; law enforcement and public safety agencies, which are exempt; and the Attorney General's office, which can pursue forfeiture cases.
Why it matters
Devices that block cell phones, GPS, or emergency radio signals could disrupt 911 calls, police and fire dispatch, or utilities like water and power. This bill creates clear felony penalties and mandatory prison time for using or selling such devices, aiming to deter interference with emergency and critical infrastructure communications.
Key provisions
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 16-11-46 defining terms like 'signal jammer,' 'critical infrastructure,' 'public safety agency,' and 'public safety answering point.'
- Subsection (b) bans possessing, using, or operating a signal jammer with intent to interfere with wireless, cellular, radar, GPS, radio, telephone, or cable signals.
- Subsection (c) sets penalties of one to seven years and up to $10,000, rising to one to ten years and up to $25,000 for jamming public safety agencies, 911 centers, or critical infrastructure, with no suspended sentences allowed.
- Subsection (d) and (e) separately ban possessing, manufacturing, selling, distributing, or importing a signal jammer in Georgia, punishable by one to five years and up to $10,000.
- Subsection (f) makes jammer-related property contraband subject to civil forfeiture under Georgia's Uniform Civil Forfeiture Procedure Act, with the Attorney General authorized to bring cases.
- Subsection (g) exempts federally authorized devices and use by public safety and law enforcement agencies.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.
From the bill
“it shall be unlawful for any person to possess, use, or operate a signal jammer with the intent to prevent, disrupt, delay, degrade, or otherwise interfere with the transmission of a communication signal”
“the punishments prescribed by paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection shall not be suspended, stayed, deferred, or withheld by the sentencing court”
“Any property which is used or intended for use in any manner to facilitate a violation of this Code section shall be declared to be contraband”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-07-01
- Act 495
- Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
Show full history (16 actions)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- John Albers (R, SD-056)
- Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
- Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
- Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
- Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
- Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
- Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
Votes
- Senate voteFebruary 26, 2026
47 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 6 absent)
- House voteMarch 19, 2026
163 yea, 3 nay (3 not voting, 7 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 27, 2026
46 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 5 absent)
Topics
- signal jammers
- public safety
- 911 emergency communications
- criminal penalties
- critical infrastructure