The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines earlier today to raise the limit on what prisons and jails are allowed to charge for communications services, backtracking on rules signed last year that drastically reduced the price of calling services from correctional facilities. The original 2024 order, created under the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2023, established rate caps and banned site commissions for calling services within correctional facilities.
This move follows a temporary waiver issued by the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau in June, which allowed IPCS (Incarcerated People's Communications Services) providers and facilities extended time to address implementation challenges and maintain existing services. The FCC cited concerns that the 2024 rules created unintended consequences, including safety and security risks and reduced service availability, as the reason for revisiting the framework.
The vote today temporarily updates the rate cap calculations by including reported safety and security costs, adding a uniform $0.02 per minute fee to help facilities recover administrative costs, and adopting new interim audio and video IPCS rate caps higher than previous levels. The new rate caps will take effect immediately, but compliance and enforcement will be delayed 120 days; the FCC will be seeking public comment on further adjustments through a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the coming weeks.
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the Martha Wright-Reed Act, voiced opposition to the FCC's vote as an effort to delay and soften the law's implementation. Senator Duckworth and her colleagues argued that delaying enforcement could raise prison phone rates by as much as 83 percent, negatively impacting incarcerated people and their families. We continue to closely monitor and engage with the Commission's actions as it works to refine the rules governing prison phone services nationwide.
AJA is closely monitoring this proceeding, has provided comments to the Commission, and will continue to pursue a balanced approach that protects family engagement, sustains inmate programming and reentry support, and maintains necessary facility security measures. We will keep members informed of key milestones, supply practical guidance as details are finalized, and advocate for solutions that keep communication affordable while preserving the services that support safety, stability, and successful return to the community.