Trump’s FCC scraps ban on prison phone price gouging, a gift to some of his big donors

FCC suspends a 2024 decision that capped the price of in-state phone calls at 6 cents per minute for prisons and large jails.

Before the decision, a 15-minute phone call could cost as much as $11.35 at large jails in some states.

The high cost of prison phone calls is a cash windfall for the private prison industry, which spent vast sums to help elect Trump president.

Border czar Tom Homan received consulting fees from GEO Group in 2023 and 2024 .

Attorney General Pam Bondi worked as a lobbyist for the company in 2019 .

Homan was not required to disclose the exact amount he was paid by the company, except that it was more than $5,000 .

In the order delaying the rule, the FCC explicitly cited the “financial burdens” imposed on prison operators.