Alabama PSC May Vote Sept. 12 on ICS Rule Changes
Alabama commissioners may vote Sept. 12 on revised inmate calling service rules, said Public Service Commission Utility Services Division Director Darrell Baker Tuesday. “Comments were due [Monday] but none were filed.” The proposal includes revising price caps for single-call usage…
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fees so users pay only for actual minutes used, rather than a $6 flat fee based on a 12-minute call duration. Single calls -- one-time collect calls from inmates billed to people who haven’t set up a prepaid account -- cost up to $14.99 elsewhere, Baker said. Alabama had charged a flat rate, based on what it determined to be the average duration for inmate calls, because at least one provider said it wasn’t technically feasible to record duration, Baker said. The provider recently advised it's possible to measure duration, he said. The PSC’s proposed change to usage-based charging means a single call will cost less if it’s shorter than 12 minutes, and more if longer, he emailed: “Our single call prices will very likely be lower than other states and lower than what is permitted under [interstate] pricing wherein the FCC allows providers to ‘flow through’ a payment fee from third-party vendors without specifying a cap.” Some states are weighing intrastate ICS rate caps after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down FCC intrastate rate limits (see 1707250044).