Phoning From Prison, at Prices Through the Roof

Peter Wagner of the Prison Policy Initiative writes to The Haggler. For most people, talking on the phone is cheap. But for many families with a loved one behind bars, astronomical phone bills mean they have to choose between covering their living expenses and staying in touch. The good news is that the Federal Communications Commission has new rules that will cap the cost of interstate calls at 21 to 25 cents a minute starting on Feb. 11. The FCC also proposed to limit the account fees, but a federal court suspended that proposal after the phone companies sued. While the FCC’s moves constitute significant progress, more than 80 percent of the affected families are not receiving calls across state lines and will thus remain unprotected once the FCC’s regulation goes into effect. In-state calls will continue to be exorbitantly high. One example: Global Tel Link charges families in Alameda County (CA) as much as $12.75 for a 15-minute call from a loved one in the county’s jail. Could the Haggler look into this?