On Thursday November 21, 2013 the Federal Communications Commission denied a petition by two of the biggest prison telephone operators, Securus and Global Tel Link, and their request for a stay on the implementation of the FCC’s order on lower long distance phone rates from correctional facilities across the country.
Link to Statement: http://pitch.pe/18WC7LC
WASHINGTON, DC- Yesterday the Federal Communications Commission denied a petition by two of the biggest prison telephone operators, Securus and Global Tel Link, and their request for a stay on the implementation of the FCC’s order on lower long distance phone rates from correctional facilities across the country. The FCC’s order, passed in August of this year, is now set to go into effect February 11th 2014 at which point all long distance phone calls from prisons will be subject to a new set of rates. This order and reduction in rates came after a decade long struggle from families of prisoners and advocates requesting the FCC’s leadership to reduce rates that in some states were as high as $20 for a 15-minute phone call.
The following statement can be attributed to Alex Friedman at the Human Rights Defense Center, co-lead in the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice:
“The Human Rights Defense Center, which co-coordinates the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice, believes the FCC made the right call in rejecting the petitions to stay the Commission’s order — petitions that were filed by prison phone companies with a long track record of price-gouging and exploiting prisoners and their families. The FCC’s decision was correct not only from a legal perspective, but also as a matter of social justice and fairness. We are pleased that the Commission continues to place the interests of consumers and the rule of law above the bottom lines of for-profit corporations.”
Steven Renderos with the Media Action Grassroots Network, co-lead in the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice:
“We’d like to thank Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel for their tireless leadership on this issue and to new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for helping move forward with the implementation of this order. We expect that come February 11th 2014, the 2.7 million children with an incarcerated parent in the U.S. will finally have access to fair and affordable phone rates designed to keep our families stronger and communities safer. We look forward to working with the FCC as they consider reforms in other areas of the prison telephone industry including the affordable phone access for prisoners with disabilities and addressing exorbitant local phone rates and fees.”
Contact info:
Brandi Collins, 
510-698-3800 x409 | brandi@mediajustice.org, Alex Friedmann, 615-495-6568 | stein919@gmail.com
About the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice:
The Campaign for Prison Phone Justice is a national effort challenging high prison phone rates, including kickbacks to prisons from providers. We are advocating across the country for those entities that have authority over the rates to lower them where they are not reasonable. The campaign is jointly led by the Media Action Grassroots Network, Working Narratives, Prison Legal News and diverse civil and human rights organizations.