Republican Attorneys General Sue FCC

(Reuters) – A group of 14 Republican state attorneys general, led by Arkansas and Indiana, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision made in June to reduce inmate phone bills in U.S. prisons and jails.

The states argue that the FCC’s rule improperly caps the amount of money jails and prisons can charge inmates for phone calls, claiming it deprives facilities of essential funding and resources needed to reduce risks and solve crimes. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel stated in June that the rule addresses “the unconscionable rates families of the incarcerated pay for communications.”