Current:Home > InvestIt may soon cost a buck instead of $12 to make a call from prison, FCC says -Streamline Finance
It may soon cost a buck instead of $12 to make a call from prison, FCC says
View
Date:2025-04-18 09:02:45
The era of of telecom providers charging high rates to incarcerated people and their families may soon be over, according to the Federal Communications Commission, with the regulatory agency saying it is set to "end exorbitant" call charges next month.
The FCC's proposed rules would significantly lower existing per-minute rate caps for out-of-state and international audio calls from correctional facilities, and apply those rate caps to in-state audio calls, the agency announced Wednesday.
The FCC on July 18 "will vote to end exorbitant phone and video call rates that have burdened incarcerated people and their families for decades," it stated in a Wednesday news release.
"Congress empowered the FCC to close the final loopholes in the communications system which has had detrimental effects on families and recidivism rates nationwide," the FCC said of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, signed by President Biden early last year.
If adopted, callers in large jails using a single service to make a 15-minute audio call would pay 90 cents rather than as much as $11.35 under the rate caps and charges in effect today, and callers in a small jail would pay $1.35 rather than the $12.10 billed today for that 15 minutes of phone time, the FCC said.
The legislation clarified the FCC's authority to regulate in-state calls from correctional facilities, as well as its authority to regulate video calls. The agency had successfully imposed caps on rates for out-of-state calls from prisons and calls, but not in-state calls, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.
"Exorbitant costs and fees heighten depression, isolation and loneliness among incarcerated individuals — actively harming them instead of providing any discernible benefit," a coalition of organizations said in a June 17 letter to the FCC, calling on the agency to lower rates as much as possible.
- In:
- Federal Communications Commission
Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance.
veryGood! (84)
Related
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Preparing homes for wildfires is big business that's only getting started
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
- Why are the Jets 'cursed' and Barrymore (kind of) canceled? Find out in the news quiz
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- UFO briefing takeaways: How NASA hopes to shift UAP talks 'from sensationalism to science'
- College football Week 3 picks: Predictions for Florida-Tennessee and every Top 25 matchup
- Can Atlanta voters stop 'Cop City'? Why a vote could be 'transformative' for democracy
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Step Inside Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz's Star-Studded Date Night
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- He couldn’t see his wedding. But this war-blinded Ukrainian soldier cried with joy at new love
- Appeals court pauses removal of incarcerated youths from Louisiana’s maximum-security adult prison
- Is there a tax on student loan forgiveness? If you live in these states, the answer is yes.
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Striking Hollywood writers, studios to resume negotiations next week
- Dominican Republic to close all borders despite push to resolve diplomatic crisis
- 'Horrible movie': Davante Adams praying for Aaron Rodgers after Achilles injury
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Mel Tucker made millions while he delayed the Michigan State sexual harassment case
Katharine McPhee and David Foster Speak Out After Death of Son Rennie's Nanny
Bus transporting high school volleyball team collides with truck, killing truck’s driver
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Wait — did we really need to raise rates?
Planned Parenthood Wisconsin resumes abortion procedures after new court ruling
Southern Charm's Craig Conover Breaks Silence on Paige DeSorbo Cheating Accusation