Breaking: Communication With Incarcerated Loved Ones Will Soon Cost Less

By Kevin J. Hagan, Esq.

Imagine if the only way you could talk to your loved one cost you a large sum every single time. This is the reality that incarcerated people and their families face each day — but we could soon see relief from the high cost of a phone call to people in prison.

Prison-telecommunication companies have exploited incarcerated individuals and their families for far too long by forcing them to pay exorbitant fees just to make phone and video calls. This predatory practice not only limits outside communication for those who are incarcerated, but also unfairly punishes their families who want nothing more than to hear their loved one’s voice. Furthermore, as in-person visits become more restricted and video calling becomes more prevalent, families must pay even higher fees to see their loved ones.

A 2022 report by the Prison Policy Initiative found that families of people in prisons and jails are paying as much as $8 to make a 20-minute video call, for a much lower-quality version of the technology that most people today can use for free. Even though the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) successfully capped rates for out-of-state calls from prisons and jails, incarcerated people who make in-state calls will likely be charged the out-of-state rate, or more in some cases. Preying on vulnerable families for profit is not an uncommon practice for Big Tech.

However, this Thursday, July 18, the FCC will vote to implement the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, taking a major step towards economic justice. The Act, passed by Congress in 2022, established the FCC’s jurisdiction to regulate both in-state and video calls placed from prisons. The law also grants the FCC clear authority to lower existing per-minute rate caps for out-of-state and international audio calls and apply those rate caps to in-state audio calls. The FCC can also ensure quality technology for video calls and prevent prison-telecommunication companies from preying on vulnerable consumers in the future.

If adopted, callers in large jails using a single service to make a 15-minute audio call would pay 90 cents per call, rather than as much as $11.35 under the rate caps and charges in effect today. Callers in a small jail would pay $1.35 rather than the $12.10 billed today for those 15 minutes of phone time, the FCC said. This would materially reduce the cost of incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS).

The economic impact on families of incarcerated individuals is often ignored. Exploitative practices like imposing inflated and unaffordable rates for phone and video calls only benefits Big Tech. Reliable and accessible communication between those who are incarcerated and the outside world is imperative. To limit that contact and overcharge families, attorneys, and advocates only increases profits and recidivism.

We look forward to this implementation and will continue to support efforts that seek to end carceral profiteering once and for all.

Kevin Hagan is FAMM’s Director of Federal Legislative Affairs.