https://qz.com/1335524/the-exploitative-prison-phone-industry-could-be-soon-dominated-by-just-two-companies/

The New York city council has passed a bill that would let jailed detainees place domestic phone calls for free. It’s a small, but significant victory for inmates and their families, who are hit hard with the exorbitant costs tied to a loved one’s incarceration.

Securus Technologies, which runs the phone service at Rikers Island, the city’s main jail complex, is a giant in the prison phone industry. Securus wants to buy a smaller competitor, ICSolutions, which would leave prison-industry telecommunications dominated by only two providers. Prisoner-rights advocates and families of inmates say this would give facilities less choice, while granting the companies more leverage in contracts. Opponents are petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to block the sale.