PSC moves to reduce cost of inmate calls

ATLANTA - The Public Service Commission has taken steps to reduce the cost of telephone calls by prison inmates to their friends and family members. <br> <br> On a 5-0 vote Tuesday, the PSC ordered that companies providing service to Georgia inmates can charge no more than $2.20 to connect and 35 cents a minute for long distance, which includes most calls from the state&#39;s prisons. <br> <br> Since the Department of Corrections switched inmate phone service from Sprint to WorldCom last summer, people who accept collect calls from Georgia&#39;s 45,000 inmates saw their bills soar. <br> <br> WorldCom&#39;s contract called for charges of $3.95 to connect and 69 cents per minute. The new rate is likely to take effect next month. <br> <br> The Department of Corrections is negotiating with WorldCom to reconfigure the contract to halve the 65 percent commission that the department gets. The contract was supposed to generate about $1 million per month to pay for prison mental health and substance abuse programs. <br> <br> Corrections spokesman Mike Light said the agency will have to look for other funds either from the Legislature or federal grants.