A federal appeals court on Tuesday said regulators went too far in trying to rein in the high cost of phone calls for prison inmates. Circuit sided with phone service companies in finding that the Federal Communications Commission had exceeded its authority. The ruling is a setback for prison reform advocates who have been fighting for years to reduce the prices imposed by a handful of private companies. In general, inmates making calls from state and federal facilities must have accounts with private companies to hold money deposited by family members. [FCC made a case for limiting cost of prison phone calls.

Source: Washington Post June 13, 2017 17:10 UTC