Calls Build to Eliminate USF Fees on Telecom Charges to Prison Inmates

the fees (see 1908160040). The Human Rights Defense Center said "excessive fees collected under the pretense of USF contribution requirements must be overturned to facilitate fair and equitable jail and prison telephone access." Wright Petitioners said it's "fundamentally unfair and a violation of the FCC's Universal Service directives to require ICS customers to contribute" to the USF "when a significant portion of these very same ICS customers actually receive assistance from the programs supported and maintained" through that fund. The Prison Policy Initiative said exempting ICS carriers from USF contributions "would be a tremendous savings to the low-income users of these services" without a material effect on USF operations. Securus said "the unique hardship that incarceration imposes on both inmates and their family members, who are often the ones actually paying for ICS calls, creates a strong basis for distinguishing between ICS and other telecommunications services." It said the benefits of forbearance outweigh the slightly increased contribution burden to users of other telecom services. The ICS provider said if the FCC grants the petition, it should update the language in Form 499-A instructions to include a reference to "assessable U.S. telecommunications services for which the contribution obligation has been forborne." The USF contribution factor rises to 25 percent for Q4 under a recent proposal (see 1909130003). Absent forbearance, the increasingly high fees subject vulnerable populations to costs they struggle to afford, said Pay Tel Communications. Worth Rises said the FCC should require correctional telecom providers to pay USF fees but prohibit them from passing those fees to their customers. Inmate Calling Solutions entirely backs the NCIC petition.