Cellphone Carriers Try to Control Signal Boosters

Cellular signal boosters, or repeaters, cost from $250 to $1,000, depending on how much they increase a signal. They work by first capturing cell signals through an external antenna, ideally affixed to the roof of a dwelling. A coaxial cable then transmits the signal inside the house to an amplifier and internal antenna, which strengthen and retransmit it to cellphones.

But in March, CTIA-The Wireless Association, which represents cellular service providers, filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission demanding stricter regulation of signal boosters. The FCC is considering whether to let an estimated one million homeowners continue to use them. Boosters have been around for about a decade, but they have not been widely used. And when they were used, it was mostly in commercial settings. But the popularity of bandwidth-hogging smartphones and poor reception in urban and rural areas have prompted homeowners to fill their homes with the electronics needed to pull in a reliable signal. Supported by separate filings by AT&T and Verizon, the CTIA claims that boosters interfere with cellular networks and disrupt service to customers. As a result, CTIA has asked the FCC to require that "the use of signal boosters be coordinated with and controlled by commission licensees and the sale and marketing of such devices be limited to authorized parties."

In other words, CTIA wants cellular service providers to control who makes boosters, who sells them and to whom. Not surprisingly, the leading manufacturers of cell signal boosters like Wilson Electronics and Wireless Extenders do not like this idea.