Valentine's Day victory over exploitative prison phone industry

The Federal Communications Commission's new regulation to bring down the cost of interstate calls from prisons and jails is now officially in effect, just in time for Valentine's Day.

This victory is huge. Now, for example, families will no longer have to pay out of state rates of more than $1 per minute to talk with loved ones incarcerated across the country. Our newest blog post talks about the last time a normal phone call cost this much in the U.S. (hint: Truman was president).

We wrote a new piece on Huffington Post to mark the occasion, and we also talked with American Public Radio's Marketplace for their story on the regulation.

Please help us celebrate this milestone in the movement for fair phone charges by making a donation today to support our work to prevent prison phone companies from severing critical family communication by charging families astronomical phone rates and piling on exorbitant fees.

The phone companies are already pushing back with a federal lawsuit, and there's lots more to be done to lower in-state rates as well. We're committed to keeping up the fight to ensure that next year all families can afford to express their love for one another on Valentine's Day.

As always, you can find the latest research, briefings, and news coverage on our prison phone industry regulation resource page.