Alaska Commission: Don't Expect ICS Rate Case Soon
Alaska is unlikely to order an inmate calling services rate case “any time soon,” even though the Regulatory Commission of Alaska regulates intrastate rates and tariffs, an RCA spokesperson emailed Monday. NARUC joined the FCC last week in asking state…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
commission members to review ICS intrastate rates but finishing the job in many states could be challenging (see 2007230065 and 2007240045). Alaska Department of Corrections (ADOC) contracting authority affects RCA’s practical ability to exercise ICS authority, the RCA spokesperson said. “ADOC gets to decide the particulars of inmate calling privileges and the security equipment necessary to operate safe telecommunications services in a confinement environment,” which “impacts the rate inputs tremendously and the Commission has been reticent to gainsay any of those representations from ADOC and its contracting agent, Securus.” ADOC voiced concerns to RCA about finding and retaining a service provider, as competitive bidding is more challenging in Alaska because it has fewer corrections facilities than other states, the commission spokesperson said. RCA staff plans to address ICS after completing non-ICS rules in a telecom deregulation docket (see 2006100048), “but likely those will merely affirm the Commission’s ongoing, limited regulatory oversight of inmate telecommunications service and would likely only codify existing conditions placed on Securus’ certificate, including indigent calling allowances and the tracking and submission of Alaska-specific cost information for future rate development.”