The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been actively working to address the issue of high inmate call costs. Recent regulations include:
- Rate Caps: In 2021, the FCC set a cap of $0.14 per minute for interstate calls from prisons and $0.16 per minute for interstate calls from jails.
- Ancillary Fee Limits: The FCC has also limited or prohibited certain ancillary service charges that were previously inflating the cost of calls.
- Data Collection: The FCC now requires providers to submit annual reports on their rates and practices, increasing transparency in the industry.
While these regulations have helped, they primarily affect interstate calls, leaving intrastate calls (which make up the majority of inmate calls) still subject to varying regulations by state.