7 States Join Lawsuit Against FCC's Jail Phone Call Policy

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said Thursday a federal appeals court has ruled that Arkansas and six other states can intervene in a lawsuit challenging a Federal Communications Commission order limiting the rates that can be charged for inmates’ phone calls.

 

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which partially granted a motion to stay the order March 7, said Arkansas, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Missouri can intervene in a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma against the FCC.

 

The FCC’s order reduces previously existing caps by more than 50 percent. It caps inmate calls at 11 cents per minute for all local and long-distance calls from state and federal prisons.