Prison Phone Justice

September	
  26,	
  2012	
  
	
  
Marlene	
  H.	
  Dortch	
  
Secretary	
  
Federal	
  Communications	
  Commission	
  
445	
  12th	
  Street,	
  SW	
  
Washington,	
  DC	
  20554	
  
	
  
Re:	
  Ex	
  Parte	
  disclosure	
  pursuant	
  to	
  Docket	
  No.	
  96-­‐128.	
  
	
  
Dear	
  Ms.	
  Dortch:	
  
	
  
On	
  September	
  24,	
  2012,	
  the	
  following	
  individuals	
  met	
  with	
  Commissioner	
  Mignon	
  Clyburn,	
  Dave	
  Grimaldi,	
  
Angela	
  Kronenberg,	
  Louis	
  Peraertz,	
  Deena	
  Shettler,	
  Victoria	
  Goldberg,	
  Pam	
  Arluk,	
  Lynne	
  Engledow,	
  Michael	
  
Steffen,	
  Angela	
  Giancarlo	
  and	
  Christine	
  Kurth:	
  Lee	
  Petro,	
  Drinker	
  Biddle	
  &	
  Reath	
  LLP,	
  counsel	
  for	
  Martha	
  
Wright	
  et	
  al.;	
  amalia	
  deloney,	
  Center	
  for	
  Media	
  Justice;	
  Nick	
  Szuberla,	
  Working	
  Narratives;	
  Philip	
  Fornaci	
  and	
  
Deborah	
  Golden,	
  Washington	
  Lawyers’	
  Committee;	
  Lindsay	
  Guetschow,	
  Participant	
  Media;	
  Mrs.	
  Martha	
  
Wright,	
  Mr.	
  Ulandis	
  Forte,	
  Mr.	
  Jackie	
  Lucas	
  and	
  Mrs.	
  Viola	
  Richardson	
  Lucas	
  of	
  the	
  Martha	
  Wright	
  Petition.	
  
	
  
The	
  first	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  meeting	
  included	
  a	
  screening	
  of	
  Ava	
  DuVernay’s	
  film,	
  Middle	
  of	
  Nowhere.	
  	
  Set	
  to	
  release	
  
on	
  Oct.	
  12th,	
  the	
  film	
  “chronicles	
  a	
  woman’s	
  separation	
  from	
  her	
  incarcerated	
  husband,	
  revealing	
  the	
  
challenges	
  faced	
  by	
  families	
  in	
  staying	
  connected	
  to	
  loved	
  ones	
  in	
  prison	
  and	
  the	
  effect	
  on	
  both	
  parties.”	
  	
  
Lindsay	
  Guetschow–from	
  Participant	
  Media–was	
  present	
  to	
  talk	
  about	
  their	
  social	
  action	
  partnership	
  with	
  
MAG-­‐Net	
  which	
  includes	
  launching	
  The	
  Wright	
  to	
  Call	
  Home	
  website.	
  
	
  
The	
  second	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  meeting	
  featured	
  a	
  community	
  conversation.	
  	
  Gathered	
  on	
  the	
  8th	
  floor–Mrs.	
  Martha	
  
Wright,	
  her	
  grandson	
  Mr.	
  Ulandis	
  Forte	
  and	
  Mr.	
  Jackie	
  Lucas–three	
  named	
  plaintiffs	
  from	
  Martha	
  Wright	
  vs.	
  
Corrections	
  Corporation	
  of	
  America–shared	
  their	
  personal	
  stories	
  related	
  to	
  the	
  Wright	
  Petition.	
  	
  These	
  
petitioners	
  were	
  joined	
  by	
  Mrs.	
  Viola	
  Richardson,	
  (Lucas)	
  who	
  shared	
  her	
  perspective	
  as	
  a	
  family	
  member–but	
  
not	
  a	
  plaintiff–	
  who	
  was	
  directly	
  impacted.	
  	
  We	
  provided	
  the	
  attached	
  written	
  materials	
  which	
  support	
  our	
  
arguments	
  in	
  detail.	
  In	
  addition,	
  the	
  petitioners	
  shared	
  the	
  following	
  testimony:	
  
•
•
•

“It	
  hurt	
  me	
  that	
  every	
  call	
  home	
  meant	
  a	
  sacrifice	
  my	
  mother	
  had	
  to	
  make.	
  She	
  went	
  without	
  so	
  many	
  
things,	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  touch	
  with	
  me.”	
  	
  -­‐Mr.	
  Lucas	
  
“He’d	
  call	
  saying	
  ‘we	
  won’t	
  talk	
  but	
  a	
  minute’	
  but	
  he	
  had	
  three	
  kids	
  to	
  talk	
  to,	
  and	
  me.	
  Three	
  kids	
  plus	
  
Mom?	
  	
  Ten	
  minutes	
  goes	
  fast,	
  and	
  we	
  could	
  barely	
  afford	
  that.”	
  –	
  Mrs.	
  Richardson	
  (Lucas)	
  
“He	
  had	
  to	
  call	
  his	
  Mother.	
  If	
  she	
  didn’t	
  hear	
  from	
  him,	
  she’d	
  end	
  up	
  at	
  the	
  doctor	
  sick	
  with	
  worry	
  or	
  
high	
  blood	
  pressure.	
  He	
  had	
  to	
  call	
  her	
  to	
  keep	
  her	
  healthy.”	
  	
  -­‐Mrs.	
  Richardson	
  (Lucas)	
  

“My	
  mother	
  had	
  to	
  move	
  in	
  with	
  my	
  sister	
  to	
  pay	
  the	
  phone	
  bills-­‐$500	
  a	
  month	
  was	
  normal.”	
  	
  -­‐Mr.	
  
Lucas	
  
• “I’m	
  3	
  days	
  away	
  from	
  90	
  days	
  out–after	
  18	
  years	
  in.	
  	
  My	
  grandmother	
  is	
  the	
  greatest	
  woman	
  I	
  have	
  
ever	
  known.	
  She	
  kept	
  in	
  contact	
  with	
  me.	
  I	
  never	
  thought	
  I	
  would	
  be	
  here,	
  speaking	
  to	
  you	
  all.”	
  	
  -­‐Mr.	
  
Forte	
  
• “My	
  grandmother	
  has	
  been	
  blind	
  for	
  17	
  years.	
  	
  How	
  was	
  I	
  supposed	
  to	
  write	
  to	
  her?	
  She	
  needed	
  to	
  hire	
  
someone	
  just	
  to	
  read	
  the	
  letters.	
  When	
  I	
  called,	
  we	
  could	
  only	
  afford	
  2-­‐3	
  minutes.”	
  -­‐Mr.	
  Forte	
  
• “I’m	
  87	
  years	
  old	
  and	
  still	
  trying.	
  He	
  is	
  my	
  only	
  and	
  oldest	
  grandson.	
  I	
  love	
  him.	
  	
  I	
  thank	
  God	
  for	
  him	
  
(grandson).	
  He	
  found	
  his	
  way	
  back	
  home.	
  	
  The	
  calls	
  helped.”	
  	
  	
  	
  -­‐Mrs.	
  Wright	
  
	
  
This	
  visit	
  and	
  screening	
  were	
  planned	
  as	
  part	
  of	
  a	
  larger	
  effort	
  called	
  the	
  Campaign	
  for	
  Prison	
  Phone	
  Justice,	
  a	
  
national	
  campaign	
  seeking	
  to	
  lower	
  the	
  cost	
  of	
  prison	
  phone	
  calls	
  led	
  by	
  the	
  Media	
  Action	
  Grassroots	
  
Network,	
  Prison	
  Legal	
  News	
  and	
  Working	
  Narratives.	
  	
  We	
  explained	
  our	
  belief	
  that	
  the	
  current	
  predatory	
  rates	
  
deter	
  regular	
  telephone	
  contact	
  with	
  stable	
  family	
  member	
  and	
  others	
  in	
  the	
  community.	
  	
  Further,	
  the	
  
petitioners	
  shared	
  the	
  negative	
  impact	
  the	
  lack	
  of	
  action	
  by	
  the	
  FCC	
  has	
  created	
  over	
  nearly	
  a	
  decade.	
  	
  	
  Like	
  
us,	
  the	
  petitioners	
  asserted	
  they	
  continue	
  to	
  believe	
  the	
  FCC—as	
  the	
  only	
  agency	
  with	
  jurisdiction	
  the	
  only	
  
agency	
  with	
  jurisdiction	
  over	
  long	
  distance	
  rates—is	
  the	
  correct	
  venue	
  to	
  resolve	
  this	
  problem.	
  
	
  
In	
  closing	
  we	
  wanted	
  to	
  make	
  sure	
  the	
  Commission	
  pressed	
  the	
  Chairman	
  to	
  pursue	
  this	
  issue	
  and	
  for	
  the	
  
Commission	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  final	
  decision	
  in	
  the	
  immediate	
  future.	
  	
  	
  
	
  
All	
  those	
  present	
  expressed	
  their	
  appreciation	
  to	
  the	
  FCC	
  and	
  staff	
  for	
  attending	
  the	
  screening	
  and	
  community	
  
conversation.	
  
	
  
Sincerely,	
  
•

	
  
amalia	
  deloney,	
  
Associate	
  Director,	
  Center	
  for	
  Media	
  Justice	
  
	
  
cc:	
  	
  Commisioner	
  Mignon	
  Clyburn,	
  Dave	
  Grimaldi,	
  Angela	
  Kronenberg,	
  Louis	
  Peraertz,	
  Deena	
  Shettler,	
  Victoria	
  
Goldbert,	
  Pam	
  Arluk,	
  Lynne	
  Engledow,	
  Michael	
  Steffan,	
  Angela	
  Giancarlo	
  and	
  Christine	
  Kurth