Is there a way to lower the cost of calling from jail?I get calls every once in awhile from wives who need to lower the cost of the calls from their husbands in prison. The easiest way to do this would be if the inmate telephone service would let people in prison call approved toll free numbers. If this was the case, we could set up toll free numbers for the homes being called and the cost to the wives would go down to only 3¢ or 4¢ per minute. Since most families are already in a finacial bind when their breadwinners are in prison, this would help many families in America that have loved ones in prison. Calling Cards Are The Best Way To Lower The Cost of Phone Service for InmatesThe best way to save you and your loved ones money, when there is a family member in jail or prison, is to buy calling cards with local access numbers. Phone cards with toll free access numbers won't work, because jail and prison phone systems usually block toll free calling because of abuses of that system by inmates in the past.
If you have a loved one who needs a phone card with a local access number, you can get get those online for less than 1 penny per minute. Here are the 2 best places to get calling cards online. They both get you your card via the internet in just a few seconds, and you can check the cards first to make sure there is a local access number in your area. How does Inmate Telephone Service Work?"The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules that ensure consumers are able to reach their preferred long distance carriers from public telephones, hotel phones, etc. served by operator service providers (OSPs). These rules also apply to telephones at correctional institutions, such as telephones located in visitation areas. The rules do not apply, however, to "inmate only" telephones. In most cases, an inmate is only allowed to make collect calls and does not have a right to access his or her preferred carrier from an "inmate-only" telephone. Correctional facilities are exempt due to the exceptional set of circumstances under which such service is provided, including restrictions on the number of calls that can be placed by individual inmates, call duration or calling hours. These factors may influence rates. How do you identifying rates for collect calls from prisons?When a collect call is made, each OSP of inmate operator services must identify itself to the person receiving the inmate’s call before connecting any interstate (between different states), domestic interexchange telephone call. Each of the prison OSPs must disclose immediately thereafter how the receiving party may obtain rate quotations (before connecting). Additionally, the OSP must permit that party to terminate the telephone call at no charge before the call is connected. Complaints - Where to File
To complain about rates for intrastate (within a state) collect calls from public phones in prisons, contact the state public utilities commission in the state where the call originated and terminated. To complain about interstate and international rates, file your complaint with the FCC." |
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