Category Archives: Prison Phone Rates
FCC Chairman Wheeler Announces Prison Phone Rate Reform
The following statement can be attributed to Cheryl Leanza, Policy Advisor, United Church of Christ, OC Inc.:
Today’s action by the FCC to press ahead on prison phone rate reform is welcome news. We congratulate Chairman Wheeler on his wisdom in taking his cues from Commissioner Clyburn on her strong moral leadership with regard to this issue. Predatory prison phone rates not only harm families economically, they undermine a supportive network for inmates, which in turn makes our communities less safe. We are pleased to see that the Commission is proposing to reform local telephone rates and to take further action to eliminate the subsidy of our prisons and jails via telephone rates.
Lower Prison Phone Rates Start Today!
For over ten years a coalition of organizations and individuals has been asking the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC) to lower the cost of calling prison, jail or detention centers. Finally, last year we won! The FCC’s new rate caps take effect February 11, 2014. The new rates will protect families, pastors, community members and others making phone calls to people in prison, jails, or detention centers. We have prepared a summary and resources to help people apply the new rules.
New Rate Caps
On February 11, 2014, the new rate caps adopted by the Federal Communications Commission for telephone calls to people in prison, jail or detention take effect. The FCC caps for interstate calls (calls between two different states) are:
- • 25 cents per minute for collect calls and
- • 21 cents per minute for debit or prepaid calls
The FCC also capped the total cost of a call between two states, including per-call charges. Those caps are:
- • $3.75 for a 15-minute collect call and
- • $3.15 for a 15-minute debit or prepaid calls
For calls after February 11, 2014, a charge over these limits is in violation of federal rules.
Need more help understanding the new rules? See our Frequently Asked Questions andHow to File a Complaint at the FCC for Prison Phone Call Charges that are Too High.
Predatory Prison Phone Rates–Jesse Jackson, Op-eds, Articles and Hollywood Proclaim the Injustice
Building on last month’s successes, UCC’s media justice and communications rights ministry, OC Inc., and its allies are attracting increased attention to our fight against predatory prison phone rates.
UCC was proud that Rev. Jesse Jackson took the opportunity as the 30th Annual Parker Lecturer to denounce these prison phone rates as “exploitive” actions which harm “the least among us” referring to Matthew 25’s charge to visit those in prison.
The New York Times editorialized against the rates, concluding they are not just “not just unfair but also counterproductive.” The American Prospect did an excellent story capturing the inequities of exorbitant prison phone rates, as did Salon magazine, calling the rates “crippling. ” The Prison Policy Initiative released a report detailing the reasons and impact of these burdensome charges. Our allies at Center for Media Justice and the Media Action Grassroots Network have successfully procured a letter of support from Cong. Ellison (D-MN). Support in the states is growing, for example New Mexico’s telephone regulators adopted a resolution asking the Federal Communications Commission to end the practice.
Most exciting, the campaign is getting support from the much-acclaimed movie Middle of Nowhere directed by Ava DuVarnay, the first African-American to win “best director” at Sundance this year for the film. UCC OC Inc. hasdeveloped a discussion guide for congregations to use as a part of the education and advocacy campaign. UCC OC Inc. is encouraging all churches to go out and see the movie and convene a group discussion afterward and post your thoughts on social media afterward (on Twitter following @UCCMediajustice and using #phonejustice and on our Facebook page). Don’t forget to sign up to support the campaign and stay involved.
Effort to End Predatory Prison Phone Rates Gains Steam
The United Church of Christ’s media justice ministry, OC Inc., has been working to put a stop to the predatory rates that beleaguer families, friends, and pastors seeking to communicate with people in prison. As our fact sheet explains, families can spend up to $300 per month for a weekly one hour phone call to someone in prison. The Federal Communications can put an end to the practice, and has been considering a petition for ten years asking for help. The so-called Wright petition, named for Martha Wright, the grandmother who filed the petition asks the FCC to cap phone rates at 25 cents per minute.
This year UCC OC Inc. and our allies have taken a number of steps to push the FCC to act. In the spring we collaborated with conservative leaders to submit a detailed letter to the FCC–demonstrating that this issue has bipartisan support. In June the UCC’s Justice and Peace Action Network, The United Methodists and the Center for Media Justice collaborated on a call-in day in honor of Father’s Day that tripled the FCC’s typical daily call volume. Over the summer, the press began to pay attention to prisoners’ letterswritten to the FCC. This month, a coalition of civil rights leaders met with the FCC Chairman himself, asking him to complete decision-making by the 10th anniversary of Martha Wright’s original petition–which was filed in March 2003. After that meeting, activists flooded the FCC Chairman’s Twitter chat with questions about when the FCC will act, prompting a Twitter response from the Chairman. (Follow UCC OC Inc. on Twitter to keep updated). Right afterward, two key members of Congress wrote a letter emphasizing the importance of action.
In addition, we have some exciting reinforcements coming from Hollywood. Participant Media is releasing a film next month called Middle of Nowhere, and it will highlight the plight of individuals in prison. They have chosen the prison phone rates issue as a social action campaign to accompany the film’s release. Stay tuned for more opportunities to discuss the issue. And if you haven’t seen the phone justice campaign’s action toolkit,download it now.
If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to sign up with UCC’s media justice team to get updates on how you can help.