the reduction in crime resulting from successful re-
entry. 
(15) The Commission has the expertise and au-
thority to regulate inmate telephone service. Because 
parties to Commission rulemaking proceedings have 
raised issues regarding its authority to implement 
meaningful relief for excessive inmate telephone 
service rates, Congress finds it necessary and appro-
priate to reaffirm that the Commission has the au-
thority to implement the types of relief set forth in 
this Act. 
SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON THE PROVISION OF INMATE 
TELEPHONE SERVICE. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 226(a) of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 226(a)) is amended add-
ing at the end the following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(10) The term ‘collect’ or ‘collect call’ refers to 
a telephone call from a person incarcerated in a cor-
rectional institution that is billed to the subscriber 
receiving the call. 
‘‘(11) The term ‘commission’ refers to a fee or 
other payment by a provider of inmate telephone 
service to an administrator of a correctional institu-
tion, department of correction, or similar entity, 
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based upon, or partly upon, inmate telephone service 
revenue. 
‘‘(12) The term ‘debit account’ refers to the 
payment of inmate telephone service through a pris-
oner’s prepaid card or other account, which can be 
accessed only through an access code, personal iden-
tification number, or similar identifier. 
‘‘(13) The term ‘inmate telephone service’ in-
cludes the provision of telephone service enabling 
persons incarcerated in correctional institutions to 
originate interstate calls at payphones or other tele-
phones that are designated for prisoners’ personal 
use, regardless of whether the calls are collect, paid 
through a debit account, or paid through any other 
means. 
‘‘(14) The term ‘provider of inmate telephone 
service’ means any common carrier that provides in-
mate telephone service or any other person deter-
mined by the Commission to be providing inmate 
telephone service.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—Section 226 is further amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection 
(k); and 
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(2) inserting after subsection (h) the following 
new subsections: 
‘‘(i) REGULATION OF INMATE TELEPHONE SERV-
ICE.— 
‘‘(1) RATES.—In order to ensure that charges 
for inmate telephone service are just, reasonable, 
and nondiscriminatory, the Commission shall con-
sider, either in a rulemaking proceeding that is 
pending as of the date of enactment of the Family 
Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2009 or in 
a new rulemaking proceeding, the following types of 
regulation of inmate telephone service, all of which 
are within the Commission’s jurisdiction and author-
ity: 
‘‘(A) prescribing a maximum uniform per- 
minute compensation rate; 
‘‘(B) prescribing a maximum uniform serv-
ice connection or other per-call compensation 
rate; 
‘‘(C) prescribing variable maximum com-
pensation rates depending on such factors as 
carrier costs, the size of the correctional facility 
served, and other relevant factors identified by 
the Commission; 
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‘‘(D) requiring providers of inmate tele-
phone service to offer both collect calling and 
debit account services; 
‘‘(E) prohibiting the payment of commis-
sions by providers of inmate telephone service 
to administrators of correctional institutions, 
departments of correction, and similar entities; 
and 
‘‘(F) requiring administrators of correc-
tional institutions, departments of correction, 
and similar entities to allow more than one pro-
vider of inmate telephone service to provide 
interstate inmate telephone service at a correc-
tional institution in order that prisoners have a 
choice of such providers. 
‘‘(2) SCOPE.—The regulations adopted by the 
Commission shall be technologically neutral and 
shall not jeopardize legitimate security and penolog-
ical interests. To the extent the Commission regula-
tions reduce or eliminate the revenue derived by ad-
ministrators of correctional institutions, departments 
of correction, and similar entities from the receipt of 
commissions, such effects of Commission regulations 
shall not be considered as jeopardizing or otherwise 
affecting legitimate security or penological interests. 
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