H.R. 555: Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2007

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe rules regulating inmate telephone service rates.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2007'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that:

(1) The telephone is the primary method by which individuals correspond and maintain contact with family members who are incarcerated in correctional institutions.

(2) Except for emergency purposes, family members are not allowed to call people incarcerated in correctional institutions; incarcerated persons are typically allowed to call family members and other pre-approved individuals only through payphones physically located on the premises of correctional institutions.

(3) Inmate telephone service in correctional institutions often is limited to collect calling.

(4) Regardless of whether the prisoners' calls are placed collect or through a debit account, the prisoners' family members typically pay for the calls, either through their telephone bills, in the case of collect calls received from prisoners, or by making deposits directly into prisoners' debit accounts.

(5) Innocent citizens are paying excessive telephone charges simply due to having a family member or loved one who is incarcerated.

(6) The rates for calls from correctional institutions are some of the highest rates in the United States, with some per-minute charges reaching $1 and service or connection charges of $3.95 per call.

(7) Information compiled by the Congress and the Federal Communications Commission shows that the high rates are due in part to the lack of competition between telephone companies that provide long distance inmate telephone service to correctional institutions.

Read the whole Bill and information about sponsor and co-sponsors here