During the COVID-19 global pandemic, remaining in touch with loved ones is critical. Team #MediaJustice urges the FCC to take action and stop the prison phone industry from exploiting families trying to remain in contact with their loved ones who are currently incarcerated.
Advocates are putting pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to request that prison phone companies make calls free at all facilities for at least the next 60 days as families weather the pandemic. That would ensure “everyone has the right to stay connected,” said Steven Renderos, executive director of advocacy group MediaJustice.
So while advocates want to see emergency action now, they also hope it will crack open the door to longer lasting change. “It’s an unprecedented moment in history, and it requires an unprecedented solution,” Renderos said. Making calls free now could “make something possible that seems impossible and … push for that new reality beyond the pandemic.”
Steven Renderos via Slate
