Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics Seek Comment on Proposed 2026 Mandatory Data Collection for Incarcerated People’s Communications Services
Key claim: The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics are seeking public comment on proposed modifications to the 2026 mandatory data collection for incarcerated people’s communications services in order to set permanent rate caps and reduce reporting burdens on providers.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Federal Communications Commission) In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) and the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) seek comment on the contours and specific requirements of the proposed 2026 Mandatory Data Collection for incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS). Consistent with the Commission’s direction, in this document, we seek comment on proposals to modify the Commission’s previous data collection to obtain data and information necessary for the Commission to set permanent rate caps for audio and video ICPS and, to the extent practicable, lessen the reporting burdens on ICPS providers.
Why this matters
Rate caps on prison and jail phone and video calls directly affect the ability of incarcerated people and their families to maintain contact, which correlates with reentry outcomes and family stability. The data collection methodology determines what cost and usage information the FCC will use to set permanent rate caps under the Martha Wright-Reed Act, so the design of this collection shapes the eventual affordability of these services. Balancing rigorous cost data against provider reporting burdens is a recurring tension in this rulemaking.