5,000 signatures reached
To: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr
Tell the FCC: Rein in the predatory prison telecom industry NOW!
In 2022, Congress passed the Martha Wright Reed Act to expand the regulatory authority of the FCC over the correctional telecom industry and finally provide families impacted by incarceration relief from egregious call rates.
But now, the FCC has delayed implementation of new regulations until April 2027—meaning people will have to wait YEARS and pay millions of dollars because of this unilateral decision that puts special interests over people, the law, and the will of Congress.
Enough! Add your name to the petition to demand the FCC stop the delay and implement the regulations NOW!
Why is this important?
Most people don’t think twice about calling their parents or children. But many families with incarcerated loved ones do because staying in touch is prohibitively expensive. Correctional telecom corporations—abetted by prisons, jails, and detention centers—charge families egregious rates to connect with their loved ones. As a result, one in three families with an incarcerated loved one goes into debt trying to stay connected, and 87% of those carrying this burden are women, predominantly women of color.
Congress passed the Martha Wright Reed Act to right this wrong, mandating that the FCC issue regulations within 18 to 24 months to provide relief for families. In response, the FCC released a monumental 430-page order with robust new regulations. The proposed regulations passed unanimously and are estimated to save families impacted by incarceration over $500 million a year in communication costs once fully implemented.
But suddenly, in a move that reprioritizes special interests and ignores the law and will of Congress, the FCC delayed the implementation of the rules until April 2027, and with it, denied relief to millions of families. Families cannot wait any longer. The FCC must stop the delay and connect families now!
Sign the petition to hold the FCC accountable to following the law and putting people before profits!