On Thursday, the FCC started seeking comments on signal boosters and interference problems that they are accused of causing. As the first step in the process, which may result in a new set of regulations aimed specifically at these types of devices, the agency will hold a 45-day period for public comment. That will be followed by a 30-day period for replies to those comments.

Third-party vendors have been selling devices to boost U.S. cellular carriers' networks for several years.

One vendor, Wilson Electronics, has been pushing for regulation of the devices, saying that some products cause interference but Wilson has developed features to prevent it. CTIA: The Wireless Association, the main industry group for mobile operators, questions whether these methods are adequate. The group says there appear to have been cases of interference even from signal boosters that have the safety features.

Signal boosters typically have two radios: One receives and transmits signals with the cellular network, and the other acts like a small base station inside the building or vehicle where the user needs a stronger signal. Because they communicate with the carrier's network and a standard cellphone, signal boosters use the very frequencies that the service provider has licensed.

Using a carrier's own channels can cause interference, signal booster vendors and mobile operators agree. But they haven't agreed on ways to prevent that interference, and vendors continue selling the devices without specific rules. The FCC's request for comments "seeks to create appropriate incentives for carriers and manufacturers to collaboratively develop robust signal boosters that do no[t] harm wireless networks," .