FCC Makes Telephone Calls for Inmates Cheaper

[Commentary] Families that have been forced to choose between buying household essentials and sharing a phone call with a loved one behind bars have long pleaded with the federal government to end price-gouging by the companies that provide phone service for jail and prison inmates. The Federal Communications Commission took a preliminary step toward that end two years ago when it limited what those companies could charge for interstate telephone calls. On Oct 22, the commission went one step further when it set limits on what the companies can charge on all inmate calls. There’s one big task left: to apply similar rules to newer technologies — like email, voice mail and person-to-person video — which are subject to the same kinds of abuses found in the telephone industry.