Prison Phone Justice

November	
  24,	
  2012	
  
	
  
	
  
Marlene	
  H.	
  Dortch,	
  Secretary	
  
Federal	
  Communications	
  Commission	
  
445	
  12th	
  Street.	
  S.W.	
  
Washington,	
  DC	
  20554	
  
	
  
Re:	
  Joint	
  Ex-­‐Parte	
  Comment	
  for	
  CC	
  Docket	
  No.	
  96-­‐128	
  (“Wright	
  Petition”)	
  
	
  
Dear	
  Secretary	
  Dortch:	
  
On	
  November	
  15,	
  2012,	
  the	
  Campaign	
  for	
  Prison	
  Phone	
  Justice-­‐-­‐	
  a	
  national	
  effort	
  challenging	
  prison	
  phone	
  kickbacks	
  
jointly	
  led	
  by:	
  Media	
  Action	
  Grassroots	
  Network,	
  Working	
  Narratives,	
  and	
  Prison	
  Legal	
  News—hosted	
  a	
  rally	
  for	
  “Strong	
  
Families	
  and	
  Safe	
  Communities,”	
  which	
  brought	
  more	
  than	
  150	
  people	
  to	
  the	
  Federal	
  Communications	
  Commission	
  to	
  
call	
  for	
  an	
  end	
  to	
  the	
  high	
  cost	
  of	
  calls	
  from	
  prison.	
  
The	
  program	
  included	
  testimony	
  and	
  prayers	
  from	
  civil	
  rights	
  leaders,	
  prisoner	
  families,	
  elected	
  officials	
  and	
  prison	
  
chaplains.	
  	
  Attached	
  please	
  find	
  the	
  statements	
  of	
  the	
  following	
  rally	
  spokespeople,	
  which	
  we	
  submit	
  to	
  the	
  docket:	
  
•
•
•
•
•

Father	
  Michael	
  Bryant-­‐Welcome	
  Home	
  Re-­‐Entry	
  Program	
  
Keith	
  DeBlasio-­‐Director	
  of	
  AdvoCare	
  
Lillie	
  Branch	
  Kennedy-­‐Director	
  of	
  Resource	
  Information	
  Help	
  for	
  the	
  Disadvantaged	
  	
  
Pastor	
  Mark	
  Erlichmann-­‐Director	
  of	
  Embracing	
  Lambs	
  Ministries	
  
Rev.	
  Geoffrey	
  Blackwell-­‐President,	
  United	
  Church	
  of	
  Christ	
  	
  

	
  
In	
  addition	
  to	
  the	
  attached	
  testimony,	
  more	
  than	
  40,000	
  petitions	
  were	
  delivered	
  to	
  the	
  FCC.	
  	
  Echoing	
  the	
  rally	
  
statements,	
  the	
  petitions	
  called	
  for	
  an	
  end	
  to	
  predatory	
  prison	
  phone	
  rates	
  and	
  asked	
  the	
  FCC	
  to	
  pass	
  the	
  Wright	
  
Petition.	
  	
  Together	
  these	
  voices,	
  numbering	
  in	
  the	
  thousands,	
  demonstrate	
  that	
  every	
  minute	
  counts	
  as	
  families	
  are	
  
forced	
  to	
  choose	
  between	
  maintaining	
  family	
  connectivity	
  and	
  paying	
  exorbitant	
  phone	
  rates.	
  
	
  
On	
  behalf	
  of	
  the	
  families	
  and	
  communities	
  we	
  represent,	
  we	
  urge	
  the	
  FCC	
  to	
  move	
  forward	
  with	
  finalizing	
  the	
  
rulemaking	
  process,	
  and	
  establishing	
  an	
  affordable	
  rate	
  for	
  prison	
  phone	
  calls.	
  	
  	
  
	
  
Sincerely	
  

amalia	
  deloney	
  
Associate	
  Director	
  
	
  

	
  

Prayer Invocation at the
Federal Communications Commission
November 15, 2012 @ 12:00 Noon
Mender of the breach, restorer of broken homesteads we seek your help and
implore your intercession, that when the mighty and wealthy take advantage
of the poor and the vulnerable that you be the guardian of the needy; come to
their aid and ease their plight. For you are a God who defends the needy and
the lowly, raising them up and bringing down the sleek and the powerful. We
ask dear God for an end to practices of huge corporations that provide
communication to the citizenry of this great nation, but prevent families of the
incarcerated from speaking to their loved ones because of excessive costs of
telephone calls. For we know that when the “ties that bind” are broken;
families grow weaker, the distance becomes greater and the glue that keeps
them together dries up. We know also dear God that when families collapse
the community is made less safe as those released from prison now have no
home, nowhere to go. We, therefore, ask those who oversee fairness of these
vast systems of communication in our nation, that they create policies and
regulations that mediate fair and reasonable fees for families who have loved
ones in prison. In the words of the biblical prophet Isaiah help us to “learn to
do right, to seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the
fatherless and to plead the cause of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Amen.

Testimony	
  of	
  Keith	
  Wm.	
  DeBlasio	
  
My	
  name	
  is	
  Keith	
  DeBlasio	
  
Historically,	
  the	
  purpose	
  behind	
  incarceration	
  was	
  to	
  serve	
  to	
  protect	
  the	
  general	
  public	
  from	
  those	
  who	
  
present	
  a	
  real	
  public	
  safety	
  risk.	
  	
  Yet,	
  over	
  the	
  years,	
  the	
  nation	
  has	
  begun	
  to	
  increase	
  spending	
  on	
  
incarceration	
  as	
  a	
  form	
  of	
  punishment	
  and	
  state	
  sanctioned	
  revenge,	
  all	
  at	
  the	
  taxpayer’s	
  expense.	
  
As	
  a	
  fiscal	
  conservative,	
  I	
  strongly	
  support	
  the	
  idea	
  that	
  we	
  must	
  be	
  tough	
  on	
  crime	
  in	
  our	
  nation,	
  but	
  at	
  
the	
  same	
  time	
  we	
  must	
  adhere	
  to	
  principals	
  that	
  protect	
  our	
  families,	
  the	
  families	
  of	
  those	
  whom	
  we	
  
incarcerate,	
  and	
  the	
  health	
  and	
  economic	
  stability	
  of	
  our	
  own	
  communities.	
  	
  	
  
Imposing	
  predatory	
  telephone	
  costs	
  to	
  families	
  of	
  prisoners,	
  families	
  that	
  often	
  include	
  at-­‐risk	
  youth,	
  
does	
  nothing	
  to	
  accomplish	
  any	
  of	
  these	
  goals.	
  	
  Instead,	
  the	
  exorbitant	
  rates	
  and	
  commissions	
  paid	
  back	
  
to	
  states	
  and	
  localities	
  by	
  prison	
  phone	
  contracts	
  only	
  serve	
  to	
  further	
  stress	
  the	
  fragile	
  economy	
  in	
  
areas	
  where	
  the	
  majority	
  of	
  our	
  prisoners	
  are	
  taken	
  from.	
  	
  These	
  rates	
  that	
  are	
  often	
  designed	
  to	
  offer	
  
the	
  highest	
  commissions	
  for	
  state	
  and	
  local	
  budgets	
  act	
  as	
  an	
  unfair	
  tax	
  to	
  those	
  who	
  are	
  the	
  least	
  able	
  
to	
  bare	
  such	
  a	
  burden.	
  
We	
  have	
  a	
  long	
  held	
  principal	
  that	
  taxes	
  should	
  be	
  	
  1.)	
  	
  applied	
  fairly;	
  	
  2.)	
  enacted	
  by	
  a	
  legislative	
  body	
  
that	
  acts	
  as	
  representatives	
  of	
  the	
  people;	
  	
  and	
  	
  	
  3.)	
  	
  collected	
  in	
  a	
  manner	
  outline	
  and	
  regulated	
  by	
  the	
  
executive	
  branch	
  of	
  government.	
  	
  	
  	
  The	
  Supreme	
  Court	
  has	
  recently	
  reiterated	
  these	
  requirements,	
  
particularly	
  in	
  regard	
  the	
  fact	
  that	
  Congress	
  (or	
  a	
  state	
  legislature)	
  must	
  create	
  the	
  tax	
  by	
  majority	
  vote	
  
and	
  the	
  IRS	
  (or	
  state	
  tax	
  department)	
  must	
  receive	
  those	
  taxes	
  according	
  to	
  properly	
  promulgated	
  
regulations.	
  
In	
  the	
  case	
  of	
  prison	
  telephone	
  systems,	
  which	
  charge	
  families	
  (not	
  the	
  prisoners)	
  increased	
  rates	
  in	
  
order	
  to	
  return	
  commissions	
  to	
  state	
  or	
  local	
  budgets	
  without	
  the	
  authorization	
  of	
  a	
  legislative	
  body	
  and	
  
without	
  regulated	
  collections,	
  governments	
  are	
  effectively	
  collecting	
  arbitrary	
  and	
  unauthorized	
  taxes	
  
from	
  a	
  class	
  of	
  citizens	
  that	
  should	
  be	
  protected.	
  	
  
It	
  is	
  these	
  commissions	
  themselves	
  that	
  are	
  leading	
  to	
  the	
  high	
  cost	
  of	
  these	
  phone	
  calls.	
  	
  I	
  live	
  in	
  West	
  
Virginia	
  and	
  it	
  cost	
  me	
  $10	
  for	
  a	
  15	
  minute	
  phone	
  call	
  from	
  a	
  prison	
  right	
  next	
  door	
  in	
  Virginia.	
  	
  	
  
This	
  unfettered	
  taxation	
  should	
  never	
  be	
  permitted	
  in	
  our	
  country.	
  
The	
  purpose	
  for	
  lowering	
  and	
  regulating	
  prison	
  telephone	
  costs	
  include	
  promoting	
  stronger	
  family	
  and	
  
community	
  ties	
  prior	
  to	
  the	
  full	
  release	
  of	
  the	
  offenders,	
  decreasing	
  the	
  likelihood	
  of	
  recidivism,	
  and	
  
reducing	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  incarceration	
  of	
  a	
  parent	
  on	
  our	
  nation’s	
  children.	
  	
  If	
  we	
  are	
  to	
  be	
  a	
  society	
  that	
  
truly	
  believes	
  in	
  fiscal	
  responsibility,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  moral	
  responsibility,	
  we	
  must	
  end	
  the	
  predatory	
  practice	
  
of	
  gouging	
  prisoners’	
  families	
  with	
  outrageous	
  telephone	
  rates.	
  	
  	
  
We	
  must	
  be	
  smart	
  on	
  crime,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  being	
  tough	
  on	
  crime,	
  and	
  we	
  must	
  assure	
  that	
  individuals	
  who	
  
truly	
  do	
  need	
  to	
  spend	
  time	
  in	
  our	
  criminal	
  justice	
  system	
  come	
  back	
  into	
  our	
  communities	
  better	
  than	
  
they	
  were	
  when	
  they	
  went	
  in.	
  	
  That	
  means	
  we	
  need	
  reasonable	
  rates	
  for	
  families	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  touch,	
  for	
  

community	
  members	
  to	
  assist	
  in	
  success	
  rehabilitation	
  and	
  reentry,	
  and	
  for	
  members	
  of	
  our	
  faith-­‐based	
  
organizations	
  to	
  provide	
  support.	
  
We	
  must	
  support	
  the	
  Wright	
  Petition	
  and	
  demand	
  that	
  the	
  FCC	
  take	
  a	
  major	
  step	
  forward	
  in	
  regulating	
  
these	
  unfair	
  taxes	
  on	
  families.	
  
	
  

My	
  name	
  is	
  Lillie	
  Branch-­‐Kennedy,	
  and	
  I’m	
  here	
  to	
  talk	
  about	
  the	
  high	
  cost	
  of	
  prison	
  phone	
  calls	
  and	
  
what	
  they’ve	
  meant	
  for	
  my	
  family.	
  
January	
  18,	
  2002	
  the	
  Prison	
  telephone	
  nightmare	
  began	
  for	
  my	
  family	
  and	
  self.	
  
My	
  son,	
  at	
  age	
  24,	
  while	
  attending	
  college	
  was	
  convicted	
  and	
  sentenced	
  of	
  accessory	
  to	
  robbery,	
  and	
  
was	
  shipped	
  off	
  to	
  Wallens	
  Ridge,	
  a	
  high	
  security	
  prison	
  located	
  over	
  200	
  miles	
  from	
  home.	
  	
  
My	
  son	
  comes	
  from	
  a	
  working	
  middle	
  class	
  family,	
  with	
  no	
  prior	
  history	
  with	
  the	
  criminal	
  justice	
  or	
  the	
  
prison	
  system.	
  	
  His	
  incarceration	
  began	
  an	
  un-­‐ending	
  nightmare	
  for	
  our	
  family.	
  	
  My	
  son	
  was	
  a	
  first	
  time	
  
offender,	
  someone	
  who	
  had	
  never	
  been	
  in	
  trouble	
  before,	
  but	
  even	
  he	
  was	
  shipped	
  hundreds	
  of	
  miles	
  
away	
  from	
  his	
  family	
  and	
  friends,	
  and	
  was	
  put	
  on	
  lock	
  down	
  23	
  hours	
  a	
  day.	
  	
  	
  With	
  no	
  access	
  to	
  
rehabilitation	
  programs,	
  we	
  made	
  a	
  promise	
  to	
  him	
  to	
  be	
  there	
  for	
  him	
  through	
  this	
  difficult	
  stage	
  in	
  his	
  
life.	
  	
  	
  
Telephone	
  calls	
  became	
  the	
  only	
  way	
  to	
  stay	
  connected	
  to	
  our	
  son.	
  	
  It	
  was	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  only	
  ways	
  for	
  him	
  
to	
  keep	
  his	
  sanity,	
  and	
  mine	
  as	
  well.	
  	
  These	
  phone	
  calls	
  were	
  all	
  I	
  had	
  because	
  visitation	
  was	
  limited	
  due	
  
to	
  how	
  far	
  the	
  prison	
  was	
  and	
  a	
  lack	
  of	
  accessible	
  transportation.	
  
So,	
  began	
  the	
  daily	
  calls	
  from	
  our	
  son	
  to	
  us,	
  all	
  within	
  the	
  state	
  of	
  Virginia,	
  I	
  thought	
  that	
  these	
  were	
  
normal	
  collect	
  calls	
  that	
  would	
  cost	
  25	
  cents	
  to	
  approximately	
  $1.99.	
  	
  Imagine	
  our	
  shock	
  when	
  we	
  
received	
  our	
  first	
  bill	
  from	
  MCI,	
  the	
  prison	
  telephone	
  company	
  –	
  a	
  bill	
  for	
  $226.50.	
  	
  	
  During	
  the	
  first	
  four	
  
years	
  we	
  spent	
  over	
  $10,000	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  touch	
  with	
  my	
  son.	
  
$10,872	
  for	
  4	
  years	
  of	
  calls	
  from	
  our	
  son,	
  for	
  him	
  to	
  hear	
  a	
  friendly	
  and	
  loving	
  voice	
  and	
  for	
  me	
  as	
  a	
  
mother	
  to	
  know	
  that	
  my	
  child	
  is	
  in	
  the	
  best	
  of	
  health,	
  best	
  of	
  spirits	
  and	
  safe.	
  
It’s	
  tragic	
  that	
  that’s	
  how	
  much	
  you	
  have	
  to	
  pay	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  touch	
  with	
  someone	
  in	
  prison	
  200	
  miles	
  away,	
  
when	
  it	
  costs	
  my	
  husband	
  far	
  less	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  touch	
  with	
  his	
  family	
  3,000	
  miles	
  away	
  in	
  Panama.	
  
My	
  son’s	
  been	
  incarcerated	
  now	
  for	
  over	
  ten	
  years	
  and	
  my	
  husband	
  estimates	
  that	
  in	
  that	
  time	
  we’ve	
  
spent	
  over	
  $25,000	
  on	
  prison	
  phone	
  calls.	
  	
  This	
  cost	
  does	
  not	
  include	
  calls	
  to	
  other	
  family	
  members	
  
residing	
  in/out	
  of	
  state.	
  	
  	
  
I	
  am	
  outraged	
  at	
  prison	
  phone	
  companies	
  like	
  MCI	
  and	
  Global	
  Tel	
  link	
  for	
  victimizing	
  the	
  other	
  victim	
  –
the	
  families	
  of	
  prisoners.	
  	
  	
  The	
  cost	
  of	
  prison	
  telephone	
  system	
  is	
  an	
  unfair	
  burden	
  on	
  the	
  children,	
  
families	
  and	
  loved	
  ones	
  whom	
  are	
  trying	
  to	
  stay	
  connected,	
  and	
  trying	
  to	
  support	
  the	
  prisoner	
  through	
  
self-­‐help	
  initiatives.	
  	
  These	
  prison	
  phone	
  calls	
  should	
  exist	
  for	
  the	
  purpose	
  of	
  prisoner	
  rehabilitation	
  and	
  
successful	
  reentry	
  NOT	
  to	
  making	
  companies	
  like	
  Global	
  Tel	
  Link	
  richer.	
  	
  
FCC,	
  we	
  need	
  your	
  leadership	
  now.	
  	
  Your	
  action	
  at	
  the	
  national	
  level	
  will	
  make	
  a	
  difference	
  to	
  what	
  
happens	
  in	
  Virginia.	
  	
  Pass	
  the	
  Wright	
  Petition	
  and	
  level	
  the	
  playing	
  field	
  for	
  families	
  like	
  mine	
  that	
  are	
  
just	
  trying	
  to	
  keep	
  our	
  families	
  strong.	
  	
  Thank	
  you.	
  

My name is Pastor Mark Erlichman
When someone in the family has a hearing loss, the entire family has a hearing problem.
This is true of the prison system and is important for the FCC to recognize particularly regarding
telecommunication access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in the prison system. I would like to quote
Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall who wrote in his opinion on a case in 1974:
“When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become
closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for
self-respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization concluded. If anything, the needs for identity and
self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment.”
There can be a no worse dehumanizing environment than to be denied equal access to the services that are
offered to everyone in the prison system’s care. It is a travesty that the equal access is railroaded in such a way
that the “equal” part is tyrannically monopolized for personal gain by those in charge. Deaf and Hard of
Hearing individuals are being forced to pay up to 3 times as much for both telecommunication connections and
the phone call itself. Deaf and Hard of Hearing prisoners tell me that they refuse to make the TTY calls because
of those charges. It is understandable when the fee is $9.00 JUST to connect to the TTY Relay Operator and
almost $30 for a 15 minute phone call. In fact their access is more restrictive time-wise because of the amount
of time it takes to type a conversation. Fact: the average typing speed for a human is 33 words per minute. The
average speaking speed for a human is 120 words per minute. (Wikipedia). For the average Deaf individual,
they may be able to type around 10-20 words per minute provided they have good English comprehension.
Many prisoners who are deaf and hard of hearing are also parents. Imagine them trying to have a conversation
with their son or daughter, telling them how much they love them…how they look forward to being with them
soon…providing the warmth and affection that only a parent can provide…imagine them trying to do this at 10
words a minute.
The FCC has already weighed in to say that prisoners have a right to equal access to communicate regardless of
their disability. What good is equal access when these phone calls are so expensive? It is imperative that the
FCC asserts the protections in the prison telephone system to make these phone calls more affordable and more
accessible.
Bill Gates once said: “I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in
terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're
interested in.” For Deaf prisoners, the tool that can enhance their ability to communicate and improve their
ability to rebuild their lives is the videophone. It is technology that is widely used, most cost effective, and
most equally accessible. But it is not acknowledged or accepted in the prison system.
I cannot emphasize enough the enlightenment that I witness in my ministry to my Deaf Brothers in prison
because they have someone who can communicate with them. But I also empathize with them on the isolation
of not being able to communicate with their families and friends because of how expensive the communications
system is in the prisons.
Passing the Wright Petition will help to remove the economic barriers that my deaf brothers are experiencing to
stay in touch with their families. I call on the FCC to press forward in asserting the policies necessary to
correct this dehumanizing telecommunication system and restore the self-respect and humanity to Deaf and
Hard of Hearing individuals in prison.

REV. GEOFFREY BLACK
GENERAL MINISTER AND PRESIDENT, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Prison Phone Justice Rally – Strong Families, Safe Communities
Federal Communications Commission
November 15, 2012
Gracious God hear our prayer today.
Today we have heard stories of hardship. Stories of families from many walks of
life. Each of them trying to maintain relationships with people behind prison bars.
These family members are trying to use their God-given voices, combined with the
telephone, to give hope and strength to our family members, friends, loved-ones in
prison who endure separation and isolation. We extend our hands to help them
while they are inside and to prepare them for a new life when they come out.
But, gracious god, as we reach out our hands, we are slapped down by exorbitant
costs. Exorbitant costs that are unnecessary. Exorbitant costs that do nothing but
harm the very people doing God’s work. Exorbitant costs that take money out of
the pockets of grandmothers, pastors and children to put it in the pockets of jailors.
These costs can exceed two hundred dollars per month for a weekly call. While
many of us who are fortunate shake our heads at spending forty or sixty dollars per
month on a cell phone, or more than that on cable television or Internet at home,
our brothers and sisters are enduring double or triple those costs on top of
everything else to maintain their families through hard times.
When so many issues divide us, I am grateful that this is a matter that joins
together conservative thinkers and progressive thinkers. My friends at the Prison
Justice Fellowship, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops are strong allies—recognizing how important
lowering phone rates are to bring down recidivism and heed Jesus’ call. Not only
Christians, but all people, whether they are following Jesus’ teaching, or the
dictates of their own conscience, know that our society is judged by how we treat
the “least of these” among us.
God, the time has now come. The petitions and letters have been filed. The
Federal Communications Commission has been working on this for ten years. The
time for waiting is over. The time for action is now. We are looking forward to
seeing the FCC not only to put out a proposal this month, but to take final action to

end predatory long distance prison phone rates shortly after that. A victory here at
the FCC will be a signpost to all the other policy makers in the states to fix their
own rules at home.
God, we are praying for the Commissioners. We are praying that they will see past
gridlock and empty arguments, and look into their hearts to hear the call of the
lowly. We are looking forward to a decision in the next few months that will bring
us another step closer toward justice for those who suffer so greatly. We look
forward to coming back here to celebrate with our leaders who have, at long last,
heard the call of justice. We look forward to bringing down the barriers, one by
one, that separate us from the people who need us. We have our eyes forward, our
hearts lifted. We look forward to strong families, safe communities. We have our
eyes on the prize.
Let us all say together, Amen.
The United Church of Christ is a faith community rooted in justice. It established the Office of
Communication, Inc. in 1959 as its ministry working to replace the media we have with the
media we need to create a just society. Learn more about UCC OC Inc. at
www.uccmediajustice.org
Press contact:
Cheryl A. Leanza, Policy Advisor, UCC OC Inc., cleanza@ALHmail.com, 202-904-2168