• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Dad Wipes Out Town's Internet After Trying To Get His Kids Offline

Home> News

Published 17:06 19 Feb 2022 GMT

Dad Wipes Out Town's Internet After Trying To Get His Kids Offline

Man accidentally takes down entire town's internet while trying to get his kids offline

Shola Lee

Shola Lee

A father in France is facing jail time and a fine after taking down a whole town's internet.

Reports claim he was using a signal jammer to stop his kids from going online late at night.

However, the jammer wasn't just blocking his signal — the entire town's internet service went down from midnight to 3am too.

Phone signal (Alamy)
Phone signal (Alamy)

Advert

A mobile carrier initially reported the strange signal drop to the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR), which is responsible for managing radio frequencies in France.

The agency found that a signal jammer belonging to the above-mentioned father was the cause of the issue, as per Bleeping Computer.

A signal jammer is a device that blocks internet by transmitting radio waves at the same frequency as mobile phones, which stops them connecting to cell towers and receiving signals.

In a report by the ANFR, it was revealed how the agency found the cause of the issue.

Advert

It stated, 'The explanation was disconcertingly simple: the jammer had been installed by the father of the family to prevent his teenagers from accessing the internet with their smartphone instead of falling asleep!

'His children had indeed become addicted to social networks and other applications, in particular since the confinement imposed due to the epidemic of Covid-19.'

Cell towers (Alamy)
Cell towers (Alamy)

The report said that the father 'decided that a jammer was the best solution to put an end to these excesses!'.

Advert

Although he did not mean to take down the entire town's internet, the use of a signal jammer is actually illegal in France.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a €30,000 fine and up to six months in jail.

The ANFR jammer is said to have been seized and is being held in the Public Prosecutor's office while it investigates the offence.

France isn't the only country that doesn't allow signal jammers, as using them to deliberately interfere with wireless signals is considered a crime in the UK.

Advert

According to Ofcom, the maximum penalty in the UK is two years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

The devices are also illegal in the US, and those who use them can face hefty fines and jail time.

The FCC enforcement alert about jamming notes, 'The use or marketing of a jammer in the United States may subject you to substantial monetary penalties, seizure of the unlawful equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment.'

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]  

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/UNILAD

Topics: World News, Viral, France

Shola Lee
Shola Lee

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    'Ozempic economy' explained as research suggests drug could save US taxpayers $173,000,000,000 a year

    The diabetes drug could help to reform the US economy

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Legendary actor Michael Madsen has died aged 67

    Madsen was best known for his roles in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill

    Film & TV
  • 7 hours ago

    Kanye West has been banned from entering Australia over one of his songs

    Kanye West will not be touring in Australia anytime soon

    Celebrity
  • 8 hours ago

    Donald Trump makes shocking threat to deport New York mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani

    Zohran Mamdani has responded to the POTUS' threats against him

    News
  • Woman confronts neighbor after she catches them trying to have sex in public pool
  • Doctor receives his charge for allegedly trying to push wife off popular tourist spot after 'poking her with two syringes'
  • Mom speaks out after her three daughters were found dead following visit with their dad
  • Man awarded $900,000 after cops threatened to kill his dog to get him to falsely confess to dad’s ‘murder’