CPUC To Hold Public Forums on Costs of Phone Calls From California Prisons and Jails

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold remote access (virtual) public forums to hear comments regarding the costs of making a phone call from prisons and jails in California.

WHEN: Two days:

• Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 1:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 29, 2021, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Remote access via webcast or phone line. Participation information and a hearing agenda are below.

BACKGROUND:

On October 8, 2020, the CPUC opened a proceeding to address the high in-state inmate calling phone service rates. These public forums are intended to develop and refine a shared understanding of issues regarding the telecommunication services used by incarcerated people and their families in California. The main issue to be addressed in this proceeding is how the CPUC should regulate the rates, terms, and conditions of telecommunications services provided to incarcerated people in California to ensure they are just and reasonable.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many pre-existing inequalities and has made it difficult for in-person visits to jails and prisons. Now, more than ever, families and friends are bearing the costs to communicate with incarcerated people in the state. In some jurisdictions, a local 15-minute phone call can run as high as $26.75. The same phone call from a juvenile facility can cost as much as $13.65. This proceeding will consider how to ensure incarcerated people and their families have access to affordable communications services.

PARTICIPATION INFORMATION:

WEBCAST (ENGLISH AND SPANISH) BOTH DAYS

• A live webcast will be available with English and Spanish captions (it will also be recorded and archived for future viewing): www.adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc.
  • Participants will have audio and video but will not be able to make comments or ask questions. To make comments or ask questions, please join via the English or Spanish phone line.
  • For captions, after clicking on the name of the workshop, click the green button below the video for captions. Then select captions by clicking on the white icon next to the word “live” at the bottom of the video.

PHONE (ENGLISH) BOTH DAYS

• 800-857-1917; passcode: 7218384#
  • Participants will have audio (in English) and will be able to make comments or ask questions.

PHONE (SPANISH) BOTH DAYS

• 800-857-1917; passcode: 8147204#
  • Simultaneous interpretation in Spanish will be available by phone.
  • Participants will have audio (in Spanish) and will be able to make comments or ask questions in Spanish.

SUBMITTING WRITTEN COMMENTS AND ANONYMITY

• Interested participants may submit comments at any time as follows:
• Online form via the CPUC Docket Card: www.cpuc.ca.gov/R2010002Comments
• Email: Public.Advisor@cpuc.ca.gov (reference Rulemaking R.20-10-002)
• U.S. Mail: CPUC Public Advisor’s Office, 505 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102 (reference Rulemaking R.20-10-002)
• To offer anonymity, it is not necessary to provide contact information, but please note that if you do, it will be publicly accessible.

ANONYMITY OF CALLERS

The CPUC is taking steps to ensure the anonymity and prioritization of incarcerated persons providing verbal comment during the public forums:

• Incarcerated persons will be moved to the front of the queue on the phone line to make comment.
• Callers are not required to provide or record names or locations at any point during their call.
• Each caller will be assigned a “port number,” which will be read in lieu of the caller’s name to signal his or her turn to speak.

Public comments are available to the CPUC’s Commissioners and the Administrative Law Judge assigned to the case and can help the CPUC make an informed decision.

While a quorum of Commissioners and/or their staff may attend these public forums (formally called Public Participation Hearings), no official action will be taken on this matter.

The most updated information related to the meetings will be posted on www.cpuc.ca.gov/prisoncalls.

The Ruling setting the public forums is available at: https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M373/K359/373359992.PDF.

Documents related to the proceeding are available at https://apps.cpuc.ca.gov/apex/f?p=401:56:0::NO:RP,57,RIR:P5_PROCEEDING_SELECT:R2010002.

If specialized accommodations are needed to attend, such as sign language interpreters, please contact the CPUC’s Public Advisor’s Office at public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov or toll free at 866-849-8390 five days in advance of the public forums.

To receive electronic updates on CPUC proceedings, sign-up for the CPUC’s free subscription service at http://subscribecpuc.cpuc.ca.gov.

The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians’ access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.

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Public Forum Agenda

Order Instituting Rulemaking to Consider Regulating Telecommunications Services
Used by Incarcerated People (R.20-10-002)

Public Forums: April 28, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) and April 29, 2021 (6:30 p.m.)