Senators urge FCC to reform inmate calling rates

Fifteen U.S. Senators wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) applauding the agency’s proposal to reform inmate calling rates. The Senators cited in their letter the outrageous costs of a phone call – in extreme cases, as much as fourteen or fifteen dollars for a single minute – and encouraged the FCC to move forward quickly with reforms.

The Senators who sent the letter were: Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ),Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Gary Peters (D-MI).

“It is of utmost importance that the FCC move forward with its proposal to curb intrastate calling rates for inmates. We applaud the FCC’s discouragement of commissions paid by phone providers to institutions and continued oversight of this matter,” the Senators wrote. “We also are encouraged by the Commission’s decision to review the market again in a few years, including a review of potential abuses in the video visitation telecommunication services market. These changes will enable families to stay connected and allow inmates to be better prepared to reenter society once their time has been served.”

The letter follows anop-ed, written by Sen. Booker and FCC Commissioner Clyburn, that highlights the important role communications services can play in reducing recidivism:

Each year, approximately 700,000 inmates are released from prison after paying their debts to society. A study by the Justice Department found that three out of four ex-offenders were re-arrested within five years of their release. Yet studies consistently show that meaningful contact behind bars can make a real difference in maintaining family ties, promoting rehabilitation, and reducing recidivism. In other words, high inmate calling rates stand in the way of formerly incarcerated people turning their lives around and not committing new crimes.

The FCC will consider an item at its October meeting that will reform inmate calling services (ICS) to ensure that rates are “just, reasonable, and fair.” The reforms, if approved, will apply to all types of calls – local, long distance, and international – and establish caps on all inmate calling rates.

Booker, Colleagues to FCC: End Exorbitant Phone Rates for Prison Inmates and Their Families (U.S. Senate, Oct. 15, 2015)