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Since its establishment in 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been committed to using the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the federal government to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities in the United States have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
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CBC to Host Press Conference on Exorbitant Rates of Prison Phone Calls
Washington, DC,
April 23, 2013
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and the CBC Prison Telecomm Reform Working Group will hold a press conference on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center, HVC Studio B to discuss the exorbitant rate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 23, 2013 CONTACT: Ayofemi Kirby CBC to Host Press Conference on Exorbitant Rates of Prison Phone Calls Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and the CBC Prison Telecomm Reform Working Group will hold a press conference on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center, HVC Studio B to discuss the exorbitant rates prisoners and their families are being charged for telephone calls. During the press conference, Members will also announce the CBC response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued to resolve the issue after more than a decade of delay. The original petitioner in the case that led to the FCC proposed rulemaking, Martha Wright, a D.C. grandmother of a previously incarcerated man and her grandson, Ulandis Forte, will also speak on the hardship they encountered in paying exorbitant rates for phone calls while he was imprisoned. Who: Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH-11), Chair, Congressional Black Caucus What: Press Conference on Prison Telecom Reform When: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 11:30am Where: Capitol Visitor Center, HVC, Studio B Why: Families of inmates have been fighting high prison call rates that often shut down communication with loved ones. The prohibitively expensive inmate call-rates – as much as $4 per-call plus a $.55 per-minute charge – frequently force families and individuals to make difficult financial decisions or forgo contact with loved ones in prison altogether. There is also an abundance of evidence that shows these high telephone rates have devastating effects on both inmates and their families, and may inhibit inmates’ successful reentry into society. For three consecutive Congresses, most recently in March, Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) of the CBC introduced legislation to require the FCC to regulate exorbitant calling rates for prison phone calls between family members. The CBC Prison Telecom Reform Working Group, chaired by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), prepared the CBC response to the FCC RPRM and is working to expose the issue, help the families and prisoners, and work to ensure others do not have to endure the same hardship. Members of the CBC Prison Telecom Working Group include Rep. Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA). ### |
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