Federal regulators propose slashing out-of-state jail phone rates amid coronavirus

Jail phone rates as high as nearly $1 a minute in some Eastern Iowa counties have caused concern for regulators, both at the state and federal levels. Now, with COVID-19 preventing families from visiting loved ones behind bars, regulatory groups are facing additional pressure to make county jail calls cheaper.

Background

The Gazette surveyed 12 Eastern Iowa county jails in May 2019 about how much inmates and their families pay per minute for in-state calls. The highest rate in the area was in Bremer County, where inmates pay $3.74 for the first minute of an in-state call, followed by 74 cents a minute after, which results in a 15-minute phone call costing $14.10.

The cheapest inmate phone calls among the 12 counties at that time were 20 cents a minute, or $3 for a 15-minute in-state call, in Linn, Iowa, Benton and Tama counties.

Inmates in county jails often pay more for phone calls than state or federal prisoners because each county negotiates separate contracts with private service providers. Bremer County maintains that while their phone rates are some of the highest, inmates there don't pay for commissary items that often cost money at other jails.

What's happened since

The Federal Communications Commission on Aug. 6 voted to propose setting the cost of out-of-state calls at 14 cents per minute from prisons and 16 cents per minute from jails. This would be a reduction from 21 cents per minute for debit and prepaid calls and 25 cents a minute for collect calls.

The FCC also wants to cap rates for international inmate calling services.

This proposal still needs to have a public comment period, but could go into effect in 2021, said Peter Wagner, executive director of the Prison Policy Initiative, which has advocated for lowering inmate phone rates.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said COVID-19 reinforced his belief inmate communications need to be more affordable.

'People are all isolated and fearful,” Wagner said of the effect of the pandemic. 'It's very easy for the powers that be to understand why paying unconscionable amounts of money for a phone call isn't fair.”

Jails and prisons have suspended visits because of the risk of introducing the virus into the facilities. Wagner said he thinks few officials will try to eliminate in-person visits for the long term in favor of video calls because they've seen themselves how virtual get-togethers are less fulfilling than in-person visits.

'You're going to see less people in the future saying ‘video is just like being in person' because of their own experiences,” he said.

But while the FCC proposal could slash the cost of out-of-state calls, in-state calls still are some of the most expensive calls at correctional facilities.

A Des Moines woman told The Gazette in December she had to limit the number of times her then 4-year-old son could talk each week with his father, who was incarcerated at the Bremer County Jail, where a 15-minute call costs $14.10.

The Iowa Utilities Board in 2019 started reviewing the tariffs and fees charged by private companies that provide inmate phone service to Iowa's county jails. The goal is to get service providers to set more 'just and reasonable” rates and the board has cited the FCC's new recommendations as a benchmark, board spokesman Don Tormey said.

'The FCC's recent letter to the Board states that the pandemic has created a new hardship on inmates that warrants review of the regulatory framework at every level, including state regulatory agencies,” he said Tuesday.

The investigation still is ongoing, with the board having technical conferences with service providers through Sept. 10, Tormey said. No timeline has been set for completion of the probe and final approval of rates.

The board, which has three members, has had a vacancy since July 27, when Nick Wagner, of Marion, left to become vice president for Colorado regulatory affairs and policy for Black Hills Energy of Rapid City, S.D. Gov. Kim Reynolds is charged with appointing a new board member.

Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com