Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
The FCC was set to publish a plan Thursday to end overly high phone and video call rates for incarcerated people.
Why it matters: Research shows that communication with loved ones during incarceration reduces recidivism and conflict within facilities.
The proposed rules would:
- Lower certain 15-minute audio calls from large jails to 90 cents instead of as much as $11.35.
- Lower certain 15-minute audio calls from small jails to $1.35 instead of $12.10.
- Cap video call rates at 11 cents per minute. Today, for example, some people in Virginia have to pay a flat rate of $15 for a 25-minute video call.
Catch up quick: The Martha Wright-Reed Act, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, empowered the FCC to set the rules.
- Duckworth in a statement this week said, "For far too long, too many families were forced to spend outrageous amounts of money simply to speak on the phone with their loved ones in correctional facilities."
What's next: Commissioners will vote on the rules July 18.
