E-Complish issues filing to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling for better regulation of Inmate Calling Services (ICS) industry

Filing addresses abuses suffered by families of inmates with exorbitant ICS provider processing fees

E-Complish, a leading payments solutions provider, has issued a filing to the FCC urging the group to better regulate service charges associated with the ICS industry. Currently, independent ICS payment vendors charge any price they deem fit, ultimately at the expense of the families of those incarcerated inmates utilizing their services.

In a study done by the company, E-Complish found that a number of ICS providers engage in charging “self-provisional” processing services fees of $10.00 to $19.95 for what should be in range of $3.00 to $5.00. These high fees are already prohibited by the likes of Visa, but Visa is not a governing entity. One argument for these higher prices puts live operators as the reason for exorbitant fees; however, research by E-Complish finds that the cost of a live operator to take a payment only places those fees in the $5.00 to $7.00 range, for an average 4-5 minute call based on geographic location.

“E-Complish has a long history of working with ICS industry and we have seen firsthand the fee abuses and the arguments used in favor of these high service charges. As an outside disinterested party, we felt the need to speak out against the abuses perpetuated within the industry.” said Stephen Price, CEO of E-Complish. “We can all agree that the inmates should be punished for their crimes, but these exorbitant fees are affecting the inmates’ families who are merely trying to communicate with their sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters during an already difficult time in their lives. These families are baring the brunt of these fees and they are the real victims here. We wholeheartedly support some sort of FCC regulation to align processing fees with actual costs.”

As a payments processing solutions provider, E-Complish has and will turn down clients in the ICS industry that overcharge fees for their services.

For more information about E-Complish’s payment solutions visit http://www.e-complish.com/solutions/. Read the full filing from E-Complish at FCC.gov.

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E-Complish, Inc.: Since 1998, E-Complish has helped businesses increase profit and communicate more efficiently with customers through its unique financial services, quickly becoming one of the nation’s most reliable and secure payment partners. For more information about E-Complish, please call 888-847-7744 or visit http://www.e-complish.com.