Court blocks immediate FCC rate cut for US prisoner telephone calls

Fair charges: The FCC's US prison telephone rate cut is aimed at helping prisoners maintain contact with family and friends. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: A federal appeals court on March 7 put on hold an order by the Federal Communications Commission cutting US prison telephone rates for local and long-distance calls to US$0.11 (RM0.45) a minute, from levels as high as US$14 (RM57.80) a minute, for more than two million US prisoners.

The US Court of Appeals in Washington issued an order putting on hold the new, lower rate caps and a related rule limiting fees for certain single call services. But it allowed the elimination of ancillary fees to take effect immediately.