from the this-is-why-we-can’t-have-nice-things dept
However terrible telecom monopolies are in the free world, they’re arguably worse in prisons.
For decades, journalists and researchers have outlined how a select number of prison telecom giants like Securus have enjoyed a cozy, government-kickback based monopoly over prison phone and teleconferencing services, resulting sky high rates (upwards of $14 per minute at some prisons) for inmate families.
Most of these pampered monopolies have shifted over to monopolizing prison phone videoconferencing as well. And the relationship between government and monopoly is so cozy, several of these companies, like Securus, have been caught helping to spy on privileged attorney client communications.
After literally decades of fighting by activists, last year the FCC finally passed new rules putting a cap on the prices that these predatory telecom monopolies can charge. The new rules were finally thanks to the 2023 passage and signing of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, which gave the agency clear authority to implement reform.
Fast forward to 2025, and Trump FCC boss Brendan Carr is just ignoring the law because it upsets telecom monopolies. Carr’s delaying implementation of the rules until at least 2027. In a statement, the FCC’s lone Democratic Commissioner, Anna Gomez, called it a “blatant attempt to sidestep the law”:
“Today, the FCC made the indefensible decision to ignore both the law and the will of Congress… rather than enforce the law, the Commission is now stalling, shielding a broken system that inflates costs and rewards kickbacks to correctional facilities at the expense of incarcerated individuals and their loved ones. Instead of taking targeted action to address specific concerns, the FCC issued a blanket two-year waiver that undercuts the law’s intent and postpones meaningful relief for millions of families. This is a blatant attempt to sidestep the law, and it will not go unchallenged in court.”
Carr’s statement on the decision feebly tries to blame “negative, unintended consequences” of the reforms. The “negative, unintended consequences” he cites mostly involve Baxter County, Arkansas Sheriff John Montgomery, who responded to the proposed changes by pouting like a baby and cancelling all calls for inmates. Carr’s other “examples” include whiny letters from telecom-giant Securus.
The original FCC rules imposed price caps starting on January 1, 2025, for all prisons and jails with average daily populations of 1,000 or more incarcerated people, and a deadline of April 1, 2025 for prisons with average daily populations less than 1,000. That’s now clearly not happening, and Carr’s FCC is likely to be sued as a result.
Again, these guys aren’t worried about inmates or their families, they’re primarily interested in protecting the corrupt kickback scheme that’s existed for a generation between shitty prison telecom monopolies, captured and corrupt lawmakers, and a largely unaccountable U.S. for-profit prison system. They dress up the corruption like it’s some sort of serious intellectual opposition, but it’s just greed.
Carr’s preparing to deliver numerous other gifts to prison telecom monopolies as well. As part of his “delete, delete, delete” agenda, he’s busy butchering whatever consumer protection standards are left at the FCC — including already shaky oversight of predatory telecom monopolies. You know, for “populism.”
Filed Under: brendan carr, corruption, families, fcc, inmates, prison, prison calls, telecom, teleconferencing, videoconferencing
Companies: securus
