Sheriff: FCC phone‑rate rule suspended; jail returns to existing contract; GED pass rates climb

Bedford County law‑enforcement officials told the Public Safety Committee that an FCC order that would have reduced inmate phone rates and removed services from the vendor was suspended before it took effect, leaving the county's existing phone contract unchanged. The sheriff said the FCC suspension meant the county will not immediately pay for investigative tools that would otherwise have been removed from the phone contract; commissioners were told negotiations had been ongoing but the ruling's suspension left the status quo in place. Officials also provided financial context for the jail: state inmate housing payment was about $2 million for the year, other county housing produced another $100,000–$200,000, and phone and commissary revenue contributed roughly $200,000. Jail leaders said housing state inmates locally supports programming and can produce cost savings compared to sending inmates to state prison. Separately, jail staff reported a sharp improvement in GED test results. A jail official said recent testing showed eight of nine inmates passed the GED in one recent test cycle, a marked improvement over earlier months. Officials said they will investigate why pass rates improved and continue offering education and rehabilitation programs. No committee action was required on the phone contract update; the information was provided as a status report.