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Eugene

(61,592 posts)
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 01:52 PM Oct 2015

'Huge Step': FCC Slashes Costs of Prison Phone Calls

Source: NBC News

OCT 22 2015, 1:17 PM ET

'Huge Step': FCC Slashes Costs of Prison Phone Calls

by TRACY CONNOR

Federal regulators took new steps on Thursday to slash the cost of calls in prison, which can run as high as $14 a minute.

The latest action by the Federal Communications Commission — described as a "huge step forward" by one prison reform group — eliminates or limits fees commonly tacked on by the phone service providers. It also capped the maximum cost of a 15-minute in-state or local call at $1.65 and lowered the per-minute rate.

The new rules affect inmates in federal and state prisons, including immigrant detention centers. They also apply to local jails, though rates are higher in smaller facilities.

"Calls that used to cost a dollar a minute now could be as low as 11 cents," said Aleks Kajstura, legal director at the Prison Policy Initiative, which has been pushing to make prison calls more affordable.

She said the new rates will benefit society as a whole, not just those serving time.

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Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/huge-step-fcc-slashes-costs-prison-phone-calls-n449286
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BlueJazz

(25,348 posts)
1. Here's the pissy thing about the new action >
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:00 PM
Oct 2015

"Service providers have argued that the rates are high because the systems must contain features to record or monitor calls. One company, Securus Technologies, is suing to keep the same rates."

Let's see 14 dollars per minute times 60 min per hour is, of course, $840.00 per hour. You know, I slightly doubt it costs even 1/20 of that to monitor a phone call.

I wonder why Securus Technologies is going to sue.?

Victor_c3

(3,557 posts)
3. I'm sure customer support call centers aren't paying that much to record us
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:17 PM
Oct 2015

Anytime I call a customer support number I always get the message "your call is being recorded for training, quality assurance, and to ensure accuracy"

Places like geico and such would quickly go out of business at those rates.

hollysmom

(5,946 posts)
2. Ihope this means that instead of getting collect calls from prison
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:09 PM
Oct 2015

I start getting direct calls from prison. Do people actually talk to these people? Note, I am not insulting prisoners as a whole, just the ones that randomly call numbers and curse you out if you won't talk to them. My number combinations seems to be a favorite.

hollysmom

(5,946 posts)
5. It has been happening to me since I moved into this house 35 years ago.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:22 PM
Oct 2015

It was scarey at first because the address is listed in the phone book, but no one has ever showed up at the door, so that part is good. I just refuse the cals and years ago, you could hear the person at the other end of the line whole talking to the collect operator, now it is automated and you are not connected at all.

Victor_c3

(3,557 posts)
7. You're probably going to think of me as an evil kid...
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:53 PM
Oct 2015

I wasn't in prison but my friend and I would do that to random numbers when I was 12 or 13 or so...

Honestly I never heard of that before.

 

Comrade Grumpy

(13,184 posts)
6. Those phone charges were an outrageous abuse of a captive population.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:23 PM
Oct 2015

Executives that authorized that piracy should be behind bars themselves.

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