Calling home is something we cling to when we’re far away. We take comfort in the fact that loved ones will always be on the other end of the line, reminding us of our roots and that we still have a place to which we can return. When those calls start to cripple the bottom line, however, it requires a new approach.
For those who are living away from home due to a prison sentence, such calls can make all the difference in a dark and lonely existence. But when those calls can reach $1 a minute or higher and prisoners are responsible for their own phone charges, the one thing they cling to could quickly slip away.
Now, thanks to the Federal Communications Commission, these prisoners will find it a little easier to stay in touch with loved ones. The agency has ruled that a VoIP-powered service known as ConsCallHome can continue to provide services to inmates.
For the past five years, ConsCallHome has enabled prisoners to provide family members with a local – and cheaper – phone number. This number provides for much lower rates than the typical long-distance number that prisoners receive. The prisoner simply calls a new local VoIP number and CCH (News - Alert) then forwards the call to the family’s real number.
Enabling this low-cost way to stay connected wasn’t viewed as a positive move by all, however. Securus Technologies, an existing wireline service, recently petitioned the FCC (News - Alert) to block CCH. The company claimed that the VoIP service was merely a diversion scheme meant to reroute inmate calls to unknown terminating telephone numbers. The firm even blocked CCH calls made over its network.
Securus believed it had a case, claiming calls were routing around its traditional network and therefore causing a situation that could possibly compromise security. This argument suggests that VoIP call recording was not in place for prisoners, whose calls must be monitored to ensure illicit information is not shared and unauthorized contacts are not made. This technology was in fact available and in use.
The FCC ruled that this assumption was unfounded given that call routing services are not initiated by the prisoner. The routed call is actually seamless for the users and therefore creates no greater threat than calls made over traditional lines.
In its ruling, the FCC also shared that it expects Securus to remove the blocking of calls across its network. Given that this alternative service cuts into its revenue stream, don’t be surprised if the firm comes up with another reason why VoIP and VoIP call recording for prisoners falls short. Until then, prisoners can enjoy a cheaper way to call home.
Edited by Rachel Ramsey