,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #agfd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #aj1     
#bjai,ms4 ,duckworth 7for herself1 ,mr4 
,portman1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,booker1   
,mr4 ,king1 and ,mr4 ,markey7 introduced
 the following bill2 which was read     
twice and referred to the ,committee on 
,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the              
,communications ,act of #aicd to require
 the ,federal ,communications           
,commission to ensure just and          
reasonable charges for telephone and    
advanced communications services in     
correctional and detention facilities4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,martha ,wright-,reed ,just and 
,reasonable ,communications ,act of     
#bjai4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3 7#a7 ,prison1 jails1 and 
detention centers in the ,united ,states
 have unique telecommunications needs   
due to safety and security concerns4    
7#b7 ,unjust and unreasonable charges   

negatively impact the safety and        
security of communities in the ,united  
,states by exacerbating recidivism by   
damaging relationships between          
incarcerated people and their support   
systems4  7#c7 ,it is the policy of the 
,united ,states to ensure that all      
people in the ,united ,states1 including
 anyone who pays for communications with
 incarcerated people via telephone and  
advanced communications1 are afforded   
just and reasonable charges for all     
communications services4  7#d7 ,the     
current correctional facilities         
communications market suffers from      
market failure4 ,among other issues1    
consumers cannot choose among competing 
providers1 which produces locational    
monopolies and monopoly profits at the  
expense of rate-payers4  7#e7 ,charges  
for communicating with individuals      
detained in prisons1 jails1 and         
detention centers have been shown to be 
unjust and unreasonable as a result of  
industry practices and lack of          

competition4  7#f7 ,unjust and          
unreasonable charges extend to telephone
 and advanced communications services   
and to both intrastate and interstate   
communications4  7#g7 ,mrs4 ,martha     
,wright-,reed of ,washington1 ,,dc1 led 
a campaign for just calling rates for   
incarcerated people for over a decade4  
,mrs4 ,wright-,reed was the lead        
plaintiff in ,wright v4 ,corrections    
,corporation of ,america1 ,,ca ,no4     
#jj-bic 7,,gk7 7,d4,d4,c4 #bjja71 which 
ultimately led to the ,wright ,petition 
at the ,federal ,communications         
,commission1 ,,cc ,docket ,no4 #if-abh  
7,nov4 #c1 #bjjc74 ,mrs4 ,wright-,reed  
became involved1 when1 as a grandmother1
 she was forced to choose between       
purchasing medication and communicating 
with her incarcerated grandson4 ,mrs4   
,wright-,reed passed away on ,january   
#ah1 #bjae1 before fully realizing her  
dream of just communications rates for  
all people4  7#h7 ,after the ,federal   
,communications ,commission granted the 

petition ,wright ,petition described in 
paragraph 7#g71 the ,united ,states     
,court of ,appeals for the ,district of 
,columbia ,circuit reversed the ,federal
 ,communications ,commission by         
interpreting section #bgf of the        
,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg      
,u4,s4,c4 #bgf7 in the case of ,global  
,tel99,link v4 ,federal ,communications 
,commission1 #hff ,f4#c;d #cig 7,d4,c4  
,cir4 #bjag71 in part by constricting   
the meaning of the word fair and        
limiting the means by which the ,federal
 ,communications ,commission can        
calculate fair1 just1 and reasonable    
charges4  #c4 ,technical amendments  7a7
 ,in general ,section #bgf of the       
,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg      
,u4,s4,c4 #bgf7 is amended-- 7#a7 in    
subsection 7b77#a77;,a7--  7,a7 by      
striking per call2  7,b7 by inserting 1 
and all charges are just and reasonable1
 after fairly compensated2  7,c7 by     
striking each and every2 and  7,d7 by   
striking call using and inserting       

communications using2 and  7#b7 in      
subsection 7d71 by inserting and        
advanced communications services after  
inmate telephone service4  7b7          
,definition of advanced communications  
services ,section #c7a7 of the          
,communications ,act of #aicd 7#dg      
,u4,s4,c4 #aec7a77 is amended--  7#a7 in
 subparagraph 7,c71 by striking and at  
the end2  7#b7 in subparagraph 7,d71 by 
striking the period at the end and      
inserting 2 and2 and  7#c7 by adding at 
the end the following3  7,e7 any audio  
or video communications service provided
 at a correctional institution1         
regardless of technology used4  4  7c7  
,application of the ,act ,section #b7;b7
 of the ,communications ,act of #aicd   
7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #aeb7;b77 is amended by  
inserting section #bgf1 after sections  
#bbc through #bbg1 inclusive14  #d4     
,implementation  7a7 ,rulemaking ,not   
later than #ah months after the date of 
enactment of this ,act1 the ,federal    
,communications ,commission shall       

promulgate any regulations necessary to 
implement this ,act and the amendments  
made by this ,act4  7b7 ,use of data ,in
 implementing this ,act and the         
amendments made by this ,act1 including 
by promulgating regulations under       
subsection 7a7 and determining just and 
reasonable rates1 the ,federal          
,communications ,commission may use     
industry average costs and collect and  
analyze such data as the ,commission    
determines necessary4