Republican state AGs challenge US FCC cap on inmate phone charges
Source: Reuters
October 2, 2024 5:01 PM EDT Updated 12 hours ago
Oct 2 (Reuters) - Republican attorneys general from 14 U.S. states, led by Arkansas and Indiana, have filed suit to challenge the Federal Communications Commission's decision to impose a cap on the amount prisons and jails can charge inmates for telephone use.
The states in the lawsuit, filed on Monday with the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, argued that the FCC rule improperly caps how much money these facilities can charge inmates for phone calls. The states also said the rule deprives the facilities of needed funding.
The FCC has said its rule, announced in July and due to take effect in November, would cut bills for about 2 million incarcerated people and their families, saving them about $386 million annually. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel in July said the rule addresses "the unconscionable rates families of the incarcerated pay for communications." Regular contact with family members, Rosenworcel added, can reduce the chances that inmates return to crime after their released.
Other states joining the lawsuit included Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. The states told the 8th Circuit that the FCC rule "is arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion."
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/republican-state-ags-sue-fcc-over-inmate-phone-call-rules-2024-10-02/
= new reply since forum marked as read
How to shake down an already struggling family for a few extra dollars. Got it 
