Proposed bill would drop prison phone costs, H.R. 4466
3/15/06
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) introduced H.R. 4466, the “Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2005” to lower the excessive interstate phone rates charged to family members and incarcerated persons. Introduced in December, the bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. There are no cosponsors.
Rep. Rush points out that prison phone rates are some of the highest in the United States -- as high as $1 per minute and $3.95 per call for service connection. Contributing to the problem is the lack of competition between long distance carriers. Typically, a facility only allows one company to provide service. In exchange for the monopoly, the carrier pays the facility a commission, which may go to pay for other services for the prison population.
Recognizing that high rates affect many low-income families, H.R. 4466 would break the monopolies at each facility by directing the Federal Communications Commission to set fair rates and policies to govern telephone charges at state and federal prisons.
These directives would include setting a maximum rate per minute and a maximum rate for service connection and requiring service providers to offer the cheaper collect calling and debit account services. Although the federal system has debit account services, many states do not. In addition, the bill would prohibit service providers from paying commissions to prisons administrators, add more interstate service providers, and prohibit them from refusing to place a call because the intended receiver is served by a rival company.
As a New York Times editorial recently opined, H.R. 4466 would not only help family members, it would help society in general. By fostering meaningful communication between incarcerated persons and their loved ones, the chances of an incarcerated person’s successful reentry into society improve. But the bill faces tough opposition from the telecommunications industry and state prisons that, according to the New York Times, “have grown accustomed to gouging the poorest families in the country to subsidize some prison-related activities … the current arrangement is both counterproductive and morally indefensible.”
For further information, contact C.U.R.E. at (202) 789-2126 or cure@curenational.org.