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Securus Technologies Compares Over-the-Counter Phone Rate versus Securus' Average RateSecurus Technologies, a leading provider of civil and criminal justice technology solutions for public safety, investigation, corrections and monitoring announced today the results of a side-by-side comparison of voice calling rates for a 12-minute call on its Secure Calling Platform (SCP) versus a readily available phone from a major retailer loaded with two 120-minute prepaid cards at $29.99 each. Comparison Parameters:
"We produced this comparison in order to accurately portray rates charged by Securus to the 1.2 million inmates and the +25 million friends and family members that we serve each year," said Richard A. ("Rick") Smith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Securus Technologies. "Too many times, those that don't understand our business, portray all of our rates as being too high, more than other call plans, or being excessive - NONE OF THAT IS TRUE. We have to operate below the Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) rate caps for interstate calling; we have to operate below intrastate rate caps in 18 states; and, we have to file and justify our rates in most of the other states. We also have filed formal cost studies in many states and at the FCC. In the FCC Cost Study, our average cost to provide service including commissions was $.24. That is our average, with a range around that average based on size of facility. Sometimes, others less knowledgeable in our business say we have 'high rates.' They are dead wrong," said Smith. "When you think of Securus' rates - including all of the free calls that we provide - think $.09 per minute, and that rate includes maintaining a recording of each call for +10 years with +500 other security features that keep inmates, friends, family, victims, witnesses, law enforcement, corrections, and all of society safe. That represents an extraordinarily low rate. But we can do better and I expect rates to continue to decline over time because of competition and Securus' efficiencies," Smith commented. "Ultimately, we propose rates but government officials that manage prisons and jails have to agree to the rates that we charge. We are partners in the provision of our services and serve at their pleasure. We make sure that when we propose a rate, we comply with all state and federal rules - then the state or county or local government approves the rates that we charge. Our objective is to always have the lowest rates for everyone. "We provide a high level of service and value for what we charge. Look at the data - the data does not lie," concluded Smith. ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and serving more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,200,000 inmates across North America, Securus Technologies is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, inmate self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. Securus Technologies focuses on connecting what matters®. To learn more about our full suite of civil and criminal justice technology solutions, please visit SecurusTechnologies.com.
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