A new FCC rule will cap phone and video calls made by inmates in the state of Texas at 5 cents a minute

Incarcerated women make phone calls in Connecticut, the first state to make prison phone calls free (Credit: John Moore/Via Washington State Standard/Getty Images)

SEATTLE - Texas inmates will see the fees paid to make calls slashed under a new federal regulation approved by the Federal Communications Commission, bringing down rates that averaged 23 cents a minute for Texas jail inmates to prices as low as 5 cents per minute.

The FCC voted on July 18 to approve regulations that cap the price of inmate phone and video calls. It is set to take effect starting next year. Prices and caps differ throughout the state and they are dependent on prison size as well as differences between state and local rules. The new regulations will be implemented in stages and people involved hope that they will be in effect for all correctional facilities all across the country by April 1, 2026 at the latest.