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tI'!J.is ts a public

cO~'1lent

for the

~'iright

Petition (CC Docket #96-128)

Received &Inspected

!/hill. Lee. "ht1;,JHq!tL

JUL 1 62012

co5!)2./4

ASP 406 North High street

FCCMaURoom

Anamosa,Iowa 52205-1157

If cp.

2012

Chairman Julius Genachowski
Federal

Co~nunications

Commission

Public Comments
445 12th Street,SW
Washington,D.C.

20554

Dear Chairman Genachowskii
I am an inmate at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and I am
writing this letter in support of the Wright Petition (CC Docket
#96-128).
As an inmate,I and my

famil~

are_being

fee and per minute rates.
.-connection
the ones who usually place the money

gou~d

with

outrageo~.

I say my family as they are
on my telephone account.

In Iowa,all inmates must make calls using the state owned
telephone system. We are charged a $2.80 connection fee for all instate calls plus a per minute rate from 19¢ to 28¢ per minute,
depending on the area code you are calling.
When placing a call out-of-state,you are charged a $3.00
connection fee and 25¢ and up per minute. All calls are for 20
minutes.
I am noping that this letter will prompt your commission to
make the State of Iowa lower both the connection fee and per
minute costs for all inmates.
Thank you for your time and attention to this support letter.

Sincerely,

~~

This~is

.'

a public

co~~ent

iIJt:JVIku!fll

for the Wright Petition (CC Docket #96-128)

fofSj.- J4

~/~

ASP 406 North High street
Anamosa,Iowa 52205-1157

Received & Inspected

JUL 1 62012

FCC Mail Room

2012
Cnairman Julius Genachowski
Federal Communications

Co~~ission

Public Comments
445 12th street,sw
Wasnington,D.C.

20554

Dear Chairman Genachowskii
I am an inmate at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and I am
writing this letter in support of the Wright Petition (CC Docket
#96-128).
As an inmate,I and my family are being gouged with outrageous
connection fee and per minute rates. I say my family as they are
the ones who usually place the money on my telephone account.
In Iowa,all inmates must make calls using the state owned
telephone system. We are charged a $2.00 connection fee for all instate calls plus a per minute rate from 19¢ to 28¢ per minute,
depending on the area code you are calling.
When placing a call out-of-state,you are charged a $3.00
connection fee and 25¢ and up per minute. All calls are for 20
minutes.
I am noping that this letter will prompt your commission to
make the State of Iowa lower both the connection fee and per
minute costs for all inmates.
Thank you for your time and attention to this support letter.
Sincerely,

'~his

is a public

co~ent

,'

for the Wright PetitIon (CC Docket #96-128)

~/L"Q5 .5k "tfht- tl6~3317
A

ASP 406 North High street
Anamosa,Iowa 52205-1157

Received & Inspected

JUl 1 62012
FCC Mail Room

Chairman Julius Genachowski
Federal Communications Commission
Public Comments
445 12th Street,SW
Washington,D.C. 20554
Dear Chairman Genachowskii
I am an inmate at the Anamosa state Penitentiary and I am
writing this letter in support of the Wright Petition (CC Docket
#96-128).
As an inmate,I and my faInily are being gouged with outrageous
connection fee and per minute·rates. I say my family as they are
the ones who usually place the money on my telephone account.
In Iowa,all inmates must make calls using the state owned
telephone system. We, are charged a $2.00 connection fee for all instate calls plus a per minute rate ,from 19¢ to 28¢ per minute,
depending on the area code you are calling.
When placing a call out-of-state,you are charged a $3.00
connection fee and 25<;: and up:per minute. All calls are for 20
minutes.
I am hoping that this
letter
will prompt your co~~ission to
,
i
make the State of Iowa lower 60th the connection fee and per
minute costs for all inmates.
Thank you for your time and attention to this support letter.
Sincerely,

~

Matthew T. Osborne, #157390
Carson City Correctional Facility
10274 Boyer Road
Carson City, Michigan 48811

Received Be IHSJ'eeted

JUL 162012

FCC Mail Room
Chainnan Julius Genachowski
Federal Communications Commission
Public Comments
445 12th Street, SW
Washington D.C. 20544
RE: "This is a public comment for the Wright Petition" (cc Docket #96-1280)
Dear Chainnan Genachowski,
I am hapPJyou are taking the time to read this letter. The high cost of phone calls in
Michigan is outrageous. For me, I went from paying $1.50 per call to $4.00 a call; almost tripling
my cost and the cost to my family.
Both my Mother and Step-Dad are retired and collect social security. I cannot afford to put
money on the phone with my prison wages. At one time I could call my Mom several times a week,
which is important because my Step-Dad has dementia. Now I am only able to afford to call my
Mom a few times every couple of months. It is a strain on our relationship because she spends all of
her time taking care of my Step-Dad. As a result, even though I can write to her, she doesn't have
the time to write me. Phone calls are our only way of truly staying in touch.
I am not sure what the phone calls are like in other states but in Michigan, through our carrier
Public Communications Service (PCS), I am charged a state and federal tax because I make interstate
calls. I am also charged a state sales tax and a State Universal Fund Fee plus a Federal Universal
Fund Fee and a Regulatory Wire line Fee.
For a debit interstate call (debit is sold at the facility) I am charged a 'floating tax'. For a
debit interstate call the 'low' tax rate is 21.6% and the 'high' tax rate is 22.2%. The base rate per
minute for an interstate caB is $0.21 a minute so the base charge for a 15 minute call is $3.15. This
makes the total cost of'a 15 minute call with the lowest tax rate $3.83, and with the highest tax rate
that same call costs' $3.85.
As a part of thjs phope cOJ;ltract,PCS includes a ~Speclal Equipment Fund" charge that is to
be used to purchase and implement equipment that will detcct contraband cell phones. PCS is also
being paid 30% of all. special equipment fund revenues to mange those phones. It should be noted
that the only real 'special equipment' that we have seen are tazers and the rumor that more security
cameras will be installed. I thought tazers, cameras, etc were to be paid for with the tax dollars
allocated to the MDOC in their budget and not from inmate phone calls.
Our previous phone provider EMBARQ included all the necessary taxes in the base rate they
charged and their calls only cost us a total of $1.50 per 15 minute phone call. The only difference
between our phone calls with EMBARQ and pes are (he additional taxes and special equipment
fund fee pes has tacked Qn.
In short, due to greed and double or triple taxing, the relationship with my family and friends
will suffer with this new phone contract. No one seems to care except for inmates and those that
wish to maintain contact with them. I ask that you intercede on our behalf. Your time and
consideration in this matter is appreciated.
Respectfully submitted,

~7 t2J~

Matthew T. Osborne, #157390

1S-73fe>

7-2-12
THIS IS A PUBLIC COMMENT.
WRIGHT PETITION.

FOR THli1eceived & Inspected

(CC DOCKET # 96-128).

.1111,

1 6 2012

FCC Mail Room
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN MY NAME IS MARVIN 0 COBB # 09419-076
11M A INMATE IN FORREST CITY-LOW PO BOX 9000 FORREST CITY
ARK.72336

DEAR CHAIRMAN GENACHOWISKI ..
11M WRITING THIS LETTER IN REGARDS TO THE HIGH COST OF MY
PHONE CALLS FROM PRISON TO MY FAMILY MY PHONE CALLS COST ME
THREE DOLLARS AND FORTY FIVE CENTS

PER CALL AND lIVE BEEN

LOCKED UP SINCE MARCH 3rd 2005 IT COST ME $828.00 PER YEAR
MULTIPLIED BY SEVEN EQUALS 5,796.00 DOLLARS AND THIS IS NOT
THE END OF MY SENTENCE.I STILL HAVE UNTIL THE YEAR

2021 NOW

THAT REALLY RIDICULOUS FOR A PERSON TO HAVE PAY AND GO THROUGH
TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH FAMILY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN THIS
MATTER SINCERELY .. MARVIN 0 COBB #09419-076 YOUR RESPONSE TO
THIS CONCERN WOULD TRULY BE APPRECIATED ...

Chairman Julius Genachowski
F.C.C. (Public Comments)
445 12th street, SW
Washington DC 20554

Received & Inspected

JUl 1 6 2012

re: Public Comments For The wright Petition

FCC Mail Room

(CC Docket # 96-128)

Dear

Chairman Genachowski,
I am writing this letter in relation to the "Wright Petition"! I feel it is imperative

"ds<l o

that the FCC know that the prsion telephone rate is sky-high, exorbiant and oppressive!
Particularly in Pennsylvania, it cost over $6.00 to make one 15 minute in-state phone
call! It cost over double that for an out-of-state 15-minute p:pone call! The Pennsylvania
D.O.C. gets up to six million dollars in kickback commissions from the telephone contract
that results in these exorbiant telephone rates charged prisoners and our families!
r (' etV tLnb
These prices greatly hinders/prevenst me from being able to adequately canmunicate with
my family/loved ones! Theres no way I can properly stay in touch with such high tele-

phone costs! And getting in touch with

out-of~state

family members is totally out of

the question! The lack of communication causes my family/loved ones to worry about me
and whether I'm alright and vice-versa! Pennsylvania also has another underhanded
extortion telephone practice of blocking me (and similarily situated prisoners) from
calling family members that have collect calling features on their telephone if the
outside family memeber doesnt have the same telephone carrier as the prison contract,
thereby they dont get any kickback fees! Even if my family has collect calling, the
prison will block me from calling that family member and will give me a 1-800 number
to have my family call and set up a· seperate account apart from

thecompany/c~llect

c..C\\li/\j'

caling they already have! So its as though my family is paying twice over in order to
talk to me •. They dont care that the family mernber already has collect calling! They demand

a seperate account be set up so that-more money can go into the DOC coffers and
the telephone company contract they have in place (kickback commission)! This further
hinders/prevents family communication. These abusive practices and the abusive
costs of phone calls must be addressed. I am hereby requesting that the FCC look into
these actions/practices and take whatever action it deems necessary/prudent to
address this drastic issue! '1hmk:inj You In Advance!

Re~full~ MA~Jd+
July 9, 2012

"This is a public corrment for th: Wright petition ( CC Docket #96-128)"
Chairman Julius Genachowski

Received & Inspected

fi'ed:ral Corrmunications Corrmision
Public

JUL 1 62012

CO[Thllt~O t 3

FCC Mail Room

445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC. 2055·'+

Chairman Genach)wski,
I am a Pennsylvania prison:r and I read the article concerning the High cost of
phJne prices and I too am experiencing this problem along with others. we are currently
paying a'Jout $5.60 per call in the state and th: only way to get those cost down is to
have our families purchase disposable cell phones locally with local numbers wit'! a
amount of discretion,
privileges are

.3.Q

if the fac.ility suspects that if we are doing this our phone

SU3pl~L1:ied

and we are issued a DC 141 (write '..lp) and are being punished for

circumventing the system. My mother is in Florida and my wife is in Reading Pennsylvania
to make those calls it is very expensiv8. If I wanted to call my mother it cost

;'Jt~

over

$LJ.OO and these prices are not dependl=nt if I call collect or if I call with my calling
card which I have to purchase through the institution _~_:1 denominations of 10, 15, 25, 50
plus tax. I know that the cost of these phone calls shouldn't be that high h2fore I came
to the state pris(n

T

paid $1.12 in the county prison for 20

11.~nutes

through TIT, I was

also transferred to Hichigan for a brief period due to oveccct)wding and during my stay
there I only paid $1.58 per 20
company a:,

;l7f~ll.

m_~_n.lte

,:.all and those facilities were thcoU6h a different

I would like to know if there is anything that I can provide h2sides

testim:my Erl)m myself or my family to h:::lp this situation out so that we can all:.>veceome
thj:3

th=ft of monies from indigent prisoQt: ~.:; :nd our families. I have forwarded this

.'..nformation to my family members anj I ,,,,i.ll have tht=m s2nd you there versions and
te~,

timony of how hard this phone probler'J:' ha3 i.mpacted our family. I than\: you for yOU"

time and tc)r leading the fight against this

0PP'·:~~3-i..1.n,

Thankfully,

S/&£~

Cesar Fernandez Jr

. 3683

1600 Walters Mill Rd.
SCI Somerset
Sor~,:::-s'~t

Pa. 15510

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This is a public

co~~ent

for the Wright Petition (CC Docket #96-128)

Kim Archer 1099548
ASP 406 North High Street
Anamosa,Iowa 52205-1157
July 8 2012
Cnairman Julius Genachowski
Federal Communications

Co~~ission

Public Comments
445 12th street,sw
Washington,D.C.

20554

Dear Chairman Genachowski;
I am an inmate at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and I am
writing this letter in support of the Wright Petition (CC Docket
#96-128).
As an inmate,! and my family are being gouged with outrageous
connection fee and per minute rates. I say my family as they are
the ones who usually place the money on my telephone account.
In Iowa,all inmates must make calls using the state owned
telephone system. We are charged a $2.00 connection fee for all instate calls plus a per minute rate from 19¢ to 28¢ per minute,
depending on the area code you are calling.
When placing a call out-of-state,you are charged a $3.00
connection fee and 25¢ and up per minute. All calls are for 20
minutes.
I am hoping that this letter will prompt your commission to
make the State of Iowa lower both the connection fee and per
minute costs for all inmates.
Thank you for your time and attention to this support letter.
Sincerely,

~~

~

-

Received &Inspected

JUl 16201Z

~.r\ . ~

'J

FCC Mal~oom

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