The state’s utilities regulator this week heard arguments on whether to adopt lower in-custody phone call rates to comply with a new FCC rule. The rule has faced industry pushback and legal challenges.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission on Wednesday (Nov. 20) reviewed the rates that prisons and jails charge inmates to make phone calls, following a directive from the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year mandating lower fees than are currently charged at Louisiana state prisons and most jails.
At the meeting, held in Baton Rouge, commissioners heard testimony from both prison and jail telecommunications companies and advocates pushing for free calls.
