FCC Republicans force prisoners and families to pay more for phone calls

The Federal Communications Commission voted yesterday to raise the maximum prices that prison and jail phone services can charge inmates and their families. The 2–1 vote with Republicans voting to raise the limits came with a dissent from Democrat Anna Gomez, who said the new rates will be “almost double in some facilities.” A new inflation factor will allow rates to rise further. “The FCC once again is going above and beyond to address the unsubstantiated needs of monopoly providers to squeeze every penny possible from families that want to stay in touch with their loved ones,” Gomez said at the FCC meeting. “Throughout this order, the FCC chooses to reward corporations with money taken from vulnerable families.” A previous FCC action in June 2025 delayed implementation of new rate caps until at least 2027. The order approved yesterday raises prices by changing the FCC’s methodology for calculating rate caps, for example by including more types of safety and security expenses. The FCC also voted to allow an additional charge of $0.02 per minute “to account for correctional facilities’ expenses.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the new rates “ensure providers keep these vital services running safely and securely.” He said that previous FCC decisions have been “stayed or otherwise invalidated” by court decisions, creating an “endless cycle of uncertainty.” The FCC is trying to set rates that are “fair and legally sustainable,” he said. Lower prices allegedly had “unintended consequences” Rules adopted in 2024 under a Democratic majority “resulted in serious unintended consequences,” Carr said. “For example, by limiting how facilities could recover safety and security costs, some prisons or jails were forced to scale back or even stop offering calling services altogether… today’s actions seek to correct course.” Gomez and advocates for prisoners aren’t buying Carr’s explanation. “The Republican commissioners misrepresented the record in making bold claims that the 2024 regulations resulted in ‘serious unintended consequences,’ namely the cessation of IPCS [Incarcerated People’s Communication Services] in some facilities,” said the nonprofit group Worth Rises. “In fact, only one rural jail, notorious for human rights violations, shut down phone access in protest of the 2024 rules and has not restored it despite their delay. These misrepresentations undermine the sincerity of the chair’s claim that today’s rules seek to improve communication access for incarcerated people and their loved ones.”