FCC’s New Prison Call Rate Caps Facing Court Threats

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2024 – New federal rules designed to cut the fees that prison inmates pay to make phone calls are facing resistance and a potential court battle.

The nation’s largest prison telecom provider is threatening legal action unless the Federal Communications Commission reconsiders its sweeping reforms to lower the cost of communications for the incarcerated population. 

Securus Technologies, which provides communication services to more than 3,400 correctional facilities across the U.S., delivered an ultimatum in a petition to the FCC Thursday: Halt the implementation of the new prison rate caps by Oct. 2 or face legal action in the court of appeals.