Uvalde County approves contract amendment after FCC cuts inmate-call rate

Uvalde County commissioners voted to approve an amendment to the county's inmate-phone contract after staff said new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits cut the maximum per-minute charge from 21' to 13'.

County staff told the court the FCC action is mandatory and must be implemented by April 1 to avoid interruptions in service. "In 2025 they suspended the term ... the most that we can charge is 13¢ a minute," a county presenter said, adding the change will reduce phone-call revenue sharply. "We're used to making about $135,000. It's gonna be about $35,000 what we'll be making off of those phone calls."

Another participant in the discussion confirmed the reduction came from federal regulators, not state action: "This is not because of Texas. This is because the FCC regulators ... said we shouldn't charge John Doe too much money to call his mother," the speaker said.

The court received a staff recommendation to amend the contract so the vendor and county comply with the new rate and to avoid interruptions in service. After the presentation and a call for a motion, the court moved, seconded and voice-voted the amendment into effect.

Why it matters: The change reduces a revenue stream the county had expected; staff said the reduction will cut receipts from phone calls by roughly three-quarters. Commissioners did not detail plans to replace that revenue in the meeting.

What comes next: The amendment was approved on a voice vote. County staff told the court the change is due by April 1; commissioners did not identify additional follow-up actions on revenue replacement during the meeting.