FCC mandates lower rates for prison phone calls

( NewsNation ) — The prices that people pay to speak to relatives and friends in prisons and jails will come down sharply, thanks to new rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission last week.

“Under the new rules, the cost of a 15-minute phone call will drop to $0.90 from as much as $11.35 in large jails and, in small jails, to $1.35 from $12.10,” the FCC said in a n ews release.

“The new rules also, for the first time, address the exorbitant cost of video visitation calls,” the release continued. It said video call rates will drop “to less than a quarter of current prices and requiring per-minute rate options based on consumers’ actual usage.”

The new rules will also ban prisons, themselves, from collecting comm i ssions from phone providers, which added the “kickback” charge to all phone calls prisoners make.

Martha Wright-Reed, a blind woman who would speak to her grandson when he was in prison, began calling for relief from high phone costs in the mid-1990s, and continued until her death in 2015.

Last year, President Joe Biden signed the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act into law. It expanded the FCC’s authority to regulate “incarcerated persons communications services” (IPCS), which led to the new regulations the Commission approved last week.

“I’m proud to have led the charge to enact this bipartisan law and I look forward to seeing it bring families closer, reduce recidivism rates and make our communities stronger,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a statement last week.

Studies have shown that frequent contact with relatives is a major factor in lowering recidivism, the revolving door of people returning to prison for new crimes after completing their sentences for previous convictions.

Providing telephone equipment and service to jails and prisons has become a $1.4 billion industry, which is dominated by a handful of companies, including Viapath and Securus .

Direct calls into jails and prisons are prohibited, but prisoners may make collect calls to relatives, friends and others. Prisoner advocate groups say the families of inmates are racking up huge debt trying to stay connected to their loved ones.

At least five states have eliminated all fees on prisoner phone calls. Massachusetts enacted a no-cost prisoner call law late last year.

“No cost calls will alleviate the financial burden and remove barriers for an individual in MA DOC custody to stay connected with their outside support system,” said Massachusetts Dept. of Corrections commissioner Carol Mici on the policy change. “Strong family support helps to advance the rehabilitative process, reduces recidivism, and contributes to successful reentry upon release,” she said in a news release.

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