The Federal Communications Commission can regulate the rates of prison phone calls. The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act is waiting for President Joe Biden to sign it.
Telecommunication companies such as Global Tel Link and Pay Tel Communications charge unfair fees for phone and video calls from inmates. The fees involve the phone provider offering kickbacks to prisons and local governments using the money they collect from the friends and families of inmates. Women and people of color are disproportionately affected by the fees that make up the industry.
The average cost of a 15-minute phone call from jail is $3, and that doesn't include any additional charges for setting up and funding the pre-paid phone accounts used to make calls. The FCC has been working to crack down on predatory costs for years and implemented a cap on prison calls in 2021, while individual states have made prison phone calls free of charge.
The Martha Wright-Reed Act gives the FCC the authority to ensure just and reasonable charges for telephone and advanced communications services in jails and prisons. The Communications Act of 1934 was amended by the bill. The legislation is expected to be signed by the president.
The FCC has moved aggressively to address this terrible problem, but we have been limited in the extent to which we can address rates for calls made within a state's borders. Thanks to the leadership of Senators Duckworth, Portman and their bipartisan coalition, the FCC will be given the authority to close this glaring, painful, and detrimental loophole in our phones rate rules for inmates.
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