FCC Lowers Interstate and International Prison Phone Rates

The Federal Communications Commission acted to lower the interstate and international calling rates for incarcerated people and their families. In May 20’s actions, the FCC adopted an Order lowering the interim rate caps on interstate inmate calling services to $0.12 per minute for all prisons and $0.14 for jails with average daily populations of 1,000 or more, providing financial relief to the vast majority of incarcerated people. It also establishes caps on international calling services rates for the first time at all prison and jail facilities. The Order substantially adopts reforms the FCC unanimously proposed in Aug 2020 to address egregiously high rates and charges for telephone service that impede incarcerated people’s ability to stay connected with family and loved ones The Order also eliminates a separate higher rate cap for interstate collect calls, reforms the ancillary charge rules for third-party financial transaction fees, and adopts a new mandatory data collection to gather data to set permanent rates. In addition, the Order reaffirms providers’ obligations regarding access for incarcerated people with disabilities.

A Further Notice accompanying the Order proposes or seeks comment on a number of reform issues, including the provision of communications services to incarcerated people with disabilities; how best to set permanent rate caps for interstate and international calls at all facilities; future treatment of site commission payments; and potential revisions to the ancillary service charges rules.