Cap on ‘Egregious’ Prison Phone Costs Advances in Senate (1)

Inmates and their families would pay less for calls from prison under legislation a Senate panel approved on Tuesday.

The Federal Communications Commission would for the first time be empowered to regulate all calls made from prisons, jails, and detention centers under a bill (S. 1541) from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

“This is a huge deal,” Bianca Tylek, founder and executive director of advocacy organization Worth Rises, said of the bill. “We see really egregious behavior on the part of predatory telecom companies, and the prisons and jails that they contract with.”

Securus Technologies Inc. and Global Tel*Link ...