FCC Delays Enforcement of Prison Call Pricing Limits

The FCC will suspend enforcement of rules that would lower prison phone and video call prices until April 1st, 2027. Trump-appointed FCC Chair Brendan Carr said that prisons won't have to comply with the pricing regulations [PDF], reversing plans to implement the caps this year.

The rules would have dropped the price of a 15-minute phone call to 90 cents in larger prisons. Current fees can reach as high as $11.35 for a 15-minute call, which the FCC described in 2024 as 'exorbitant.' Four states -- Connecticut, California, Minnesota, and Massachusetts -- have made prison calls free. Former President Joe Biden signed the Martha Wright-Reed law in 2023, allowing the FCC to regulate prison call rates. The agency voted to adopt the new rates last year, with rules set to take effect on a staggered basis starting January 1st, 2025.

Carr said the regulations are 'leading to negative, unintended consequences' and would make caps 'too low' to cover 'required safety measures.' FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized the delay, stating the Commission 'is now stalling, shielding a broken system that inflates costs and rewards kickbacks to correctional facilities.'

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