Washington, D.C. – Delaware Senator Chris Coons has announced, alongside 12 Senate colleagues, a call for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to enforce a bipartisan law aimed at reducing excessive prison phone rates and supporting communication between incarcerated individuals and their families. In a letter to Chairman Carr, the senators criticized efforts to delay implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, signed into law in 2022. The law is designed to cut fees for prison phone calls and maintain family connections, which studies indicate can reduce recidivism.
The senators noted that Chairman Carr previously voted in favor of the FCC’s 2024 final rule implementing the law, which reduced rates by more than half and prohibited additional charges. They warned that a draft order circulated by Carr could increase rates by up to 83 percent compared to the 2024 rule, calling such an action “arbitrary and capricious.”
“This action will inflict harm on millions of Americans who seek to remain in contact with incarcerated loved ones,” the letter states. “We do not require, nor desire, a response to our letter. We simply want you to enforce the law.”
The letter was signed by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
The legislation honors the legacy of the late Martha Wright-Reed, who advocated for decades to end excessive prison phone charges that limited family contact.
