Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
  April 22, 2014
DA 14-535
Small Entity Compliance Guide
Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services 
Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
FCC 13-113
WC Docket No. 12-375
This Guide is prepared in accordance with the requirements of Section 212 of 
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.  It is intended 
to help small entities—small businesses, small organizations (non-profits), and 
small governmental jurisdictions—comply with the new rules adopted in the 
above-referenced FCC rulemaking docket(s).  This Guide is not intended to 
replace the rules and, therefore, final authority rests solely with the rules.  
Although the Commission has attempted to cover all parts of the rules that 
might be especially important to small entities, the coverage may not be 
exhaustive.  This Guide may, perhaps, not apply in a particular situation based 
upon the circumstances, and the FCC retains the discretion to adopt approaches 
on a case-by-case basis that may differ from this Guide, where appropriate.  
Any decisions regarding a particular small entity will be based on the statute 
and regulations.  
In any civil or administrative action against a small entity for a violation of 
rules, the content of the Small Entity Compliance Guide may be considered as 
evidence of the reasonableness or appropriateness of proposed fines, penalties or 
damages.  Interested parties are free to file comments regarding this Guide and 
the appropriateness of its application to a particular situation; the FCC will 
consider whether the recommendations or interpretations in the Guide are 
appropriate in that situation. The FCC may decide to revise this Guide without 
public notice to reflect changes in the FCC’s approach to implementing a rule, 
or to clarify or update the text of the Guide.  Direct your comments and 
recommendations, or calls for further assistance, to the FCC’s Consumer 
Center:
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322)
TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322)  
Fax: 1-866-418-0232
fccinfo@fcc.gov
2Table of Contents
A. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCEEDING………………………………………3
B. COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS...…………………………………………3
C. COMPLIANCE DATES……………………………………………………….4
D. IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS…………………………………………………4
E. WEB LINKS AND CITATIONS………………………………………………5
3A. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCEEDING
? Pursuant to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC or Commission) statutory 
mandate that rates and charges be just, reasonable, and fair, the Commission’s actions in this 
proceeding take important steps to reform rates and practices for interstate inmate calling 
services (ICS).  
? These steps will promote the public interest by making it easier for inmates to stay connected 
to their families and friends while taking full account of correctional facilities’ security 
needs.  
B. COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
? The Report and Order (Order), released on September 26, 2013, adopted the rules and 
requirements outlined below.  Except where specified, these requirements took effect on 
February 11, 2014.  
? The Order adopted interim caps for interstate ICS rates.  Interim rate caps are the upper limit 
that ICS providers may charge at this time.
o The caps are as follows:  
? Interstate prepaid and debit calling:  $0.21 per minute; 
? Interstate collect calling:  $0.25 per minute. 
? A provider’s rates shall be considered in compliance with the Order if the total 
charge for a 15-minute interstate call, including any per-call or per-connection 
charges, does not exceed $3.75 for a 15-minute call using collect calling, or 
$3.15 for a 15-minute call using debit calling, prepaid calling, or prepaid 
collect calling.
? The adopted rules and requirements apply to interstate ICS provided in “correctional 
institutions” which includes prisons, jails, and immigration detention facilities.
? The Order stated that ICS providers may not impose any additional charges or fees when 
inmates must use the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) to place a call.  
? The Order adopted a rule that no ICS provider may block a collect call from an inmate solely 
because it lacks a prior billing relationship with the called party’s provider unless the ICS
provider also offers an alternative means to pay for a call, such as debit, prepaid, or prepaid 
collect calling options.
? The Order reaffirmed the Commission’s prior conclusion that site commission payments are 
not a cost of providing ICS. 
? The Order also adopted a mandatory data collection under which all ICS providers must
provide to the FCC their costs for interstate, intrastate long distance and intrastate local ICS 
4for the past year, in five separate categories. The mandatory data collection will become 
effective upon approval of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requirements by the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB).
? On January 13, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 
(Court of Appeals) issued a partial stay of the Order, pending further judicial review.  The 
compliance requirements described above were not affected by the stay.   
? Three of the rules adopted in the Order (“Cost-Based Rates for Inmate Calling Services”; 
Interim Safe Harbor”; and the “Annual Reporting and Certification Requirement”) were 
stayed by the Court of Appeals and will not go into effect at this time.  Those stayed rules are 
not described in this Compliance Guide.  If the court’s stay of those rules is lifted in the 
future, the Commission will revise this Compliance Guide to include the relevant rules.
C. COMPLIANCE DATES
? The new interim rules, other than the mandatory data collection, became effective on 
February 11, 2014, which is 90 days after they were published in the Federal Register.
? The interim rules that were stayed, or stopped, from going into effect by the Court of Appeals 
did not go into effect on February 11, 2014.
? Upon announcement of OMB approval of the Commission’s PRA information collection 
analysis, the mandatory data collection will become effective.  The PRA review process was 
initiated by publication of a 60-day notice in the Federal Register on January 16, 2014.  
Comments on the information collection were due on March 17, 2014.
D. IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
(1) Collect calling means a calling arrangement whereby the called party agrees to pay 
for charges associated with an ICS call originating from an inmate telephone;    
(2) Consumer means the party paying an ICS provider;
(3) Debit calling means a calling arrangement that allows a consumer to pay for ICS from 
an existing or established account;
(4) Inmate means a person detained at a correctional institution, regardless of the duration 
of the detention;
(5) Inmate calling services (or ICS) means the offering of interstate calling capabilities 
from an Inmate Telephone;
(6) Inmate telephone means a telephone instrument or other device capable of initiating 
telephone calls set aside by authorities of a correctional institution for use by Inmates;
(7) Prepaid calling means a calling arrangement that allows consumers to pay in advance 
for a specified amount of ICS;
5(8) Prepaid collect calling means a calling arrangement that allows an Inmate to initiate 
an ICS call without having a pre-established billing arrangement and also provides a 
means, within that call, for the called party to establish an arrangement to be billed 
directly by the provider of ICS for future calls from the same Inmate;
(9) Provider, or ICS provider, means any communications service provider that provides 
ICS, regardless of the technology used.
(10) Telecommunications Relay Service (or TRS) means telephone transmission services 
that provide the ability for an individual who is deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or who 
has a speech disability to engage in communication by wire or radio with one or more 
individuals, in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of a hearing 
individual who does not have a speech disability to communicate using voice 
communication services by wire or radio.
E. WEBLINKS AND CITATIONS
Official citation:  Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, WC Docket No. 12-375, Report 
and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 28 FCC Rcd 14107 (2013).
Federal Register citation announcing the final rules:  Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, 
78 Fed. Reg. 67,956 (Nov. 13, 2013) (to be codified at 47 C.F.R. pt. 64).
Federal Register citation initiating the Paperwork Reduction Act review process for the 
mandatory data collection:  Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the 
Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested, 79 Fed. Reg. 2,834 (Jan. 16, 
2014).
FCC Web Site: www.fcc.gov/guides/inmate-telephone-service
FCC Blog entry: http://www.fcc.gov/blog/providing-relief-families-inmates-high-cost-staying-
touch