Court blocks immediate FCC rate cut for U.S. prisoner telephone calls

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Court blocks immediate FCC rate cut for U.S. prisoner telephone calls
Reuters
By David Shepardson
27 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday put on hold an order by the Federal Communications Commission cutting U.S. prison telephone rates for local and long-distance calls to 11 cents a minute, from levels as high as $14 a minute, for more than 2 million U.S. prisoners.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington issued an order putting on hold the new, lower rate caps and a related rule limiting fees for certain single call services. But it allowed the elimination of ancillary fees to take effect immediately.

The elimination of those fees will take effect on March 17 for prisons, and June 20 for jails. The stay does affect interim rates set by the FCC in 2013.

Prison phone companies had sued the FCC, asking the court to overturn the rate cut. The court opted to put the reduction on hold pending a full briefing and oral arguments.








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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/court-blocks-immediate-fcc-rate-cut-u-prisoner-211441153.html

[mahannah]

1. Prisons for profit.

[dembotoz]

2. back in the days when i studied such stuff, family involvement was a good way to reduce recidivism

asshole monkey fuck prison must like repeat customers

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. Are the prison phones run by Martin Skreli?

$14 per minute is a helluva markup.

[localroger]

4. Actually, that's pretty close

The reasoning behind Skrelli's price hike (and the prices of other outrageously overpriced drugs like Viagra) is to maximize revenue by maximizing the product of the number of people willing to pay times the price point. Skrelli observed that people would pay a lot more than $1,000 to save their lives. Pfizer and its competitors base their prices on what men are willing to pay to make a sexual encounter possible. And the prison phone companies charge what they've found their captive audience is willing to pay for communication with their friends and family. Often that price includes an impressive kickback to the prison itself, because the providers bid to get the contract.

This is all basic accounting and econ 101 stuff and there are a lot of people who wear suits and have graduate degrees who seriously argue that this is how companies are SUPPOSED to act in order to fulfill their purpose, which is not providing a service but maximizing investor revenue.

[billhicks76]

5. WTF

[lostnfound]

6. Taking money from poor families

Atrocious and stupid way to punish people. The families, the kids who miss their mom or dad, the sick or dying parent. Flipping inhuman society that tolerates this crap.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. Your right to a phone call

costs more per minute than most people make in an hour. You right to an attorney give you one that has 5 minuted to dedicate to your case. Ain't that America?