Montana Title 53. Social Services and Institutions § 53-30-153. Telephone account requirements for state prisons --protected accounts --disclosure required --rulemaking --definitions

(a) provides public safety precautions required by the department of corrections;

(b) prohibits expiration of prepaid minutes or charges;

(c) does not charge additional usage or dormancy fees;

(d) does not charge excessive intrastate fees that are greater than 10 cents a minute;

(e) does not include ancillary service fees, including prepaid telephone cards, collect calls, and single pay calls that total more than 3% of the base charge; and

(f) allows rollover of unused, prepaid minutes into the next month unless the inmate for whom the account was set up is no longer able to use the telephone account, whether for disciplinary reasons or other reasons specified by department rule. No refund is required for unexpired minutes subject to this subsection (1)(f).

(a) “Prepaid telephone account” means a system, whether purchased as a calling card or set up as an account with a telecommunications service provider, to provide telephonic connections in which the purchaser pays for minutes prior to use. The term does not include a lifeline account, defined under 47 CFR 54.401, for which a telecommunications carrier receives universal service support.

(b) “State prison” has the meaning provided in 53-30-101(3)(c)(i) through (3)(c)(iii) and (3)(c)(v).

(c) “Telecommunications service provider” has the meaning provided for “operator service provider” in 69-3-1102.