Staying connected with someone behind bars used to be a financial nightmare. Honestly, for many families, it still is. If you've ever looked at a GTL (now often called ViaPath) statement and wondered why a fifteen-minute conversation costs as much as a fancy takeout lunch, you aren't alone.
The world of global tel link rates is messy. It’s a mix of federal laws, local contracts, and "site commissions"—which is basically just a polite word for kickbacks. While the government promised to slash these prices recently, 2026 has brought some unexpected turns that might make your next bill look a little different than you hoped.
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The FCC Rollercoaster: Why Rates Just Went Up (Again)
For a minute there, it looked like we were winning. Back in 2024, the FCC used the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act to set aggressive new price caps. They wanted to drop the cost of a call in large prisons down to $0.06 per minute.
That didn't last.
By late 2025, the FCC shifted gears. Under new leadership, the commission voted to roll back those lower caps. Why? They claimed the cheap rates didn't cover the "safety and security" costs—things like call monitoring and recording—that jails and prisons insist on.
As of early 2026, we are looking at interim rate caps that are significantly higher than the 2024 goals.
The Current Price Breakdown (Per Minute)
- Large State Prisons: Around $0.11
- Large Jails (1,000+ inmates): Roughly $0.10
- Medium Jails (350-999 inmates): About $0.12
- Small Jails (100-349 inmates): $0.13
- Very Small/Extremely Small Jails: These can go as high as $0.15 to $0.19
Keep in mind, these are just the "caps." A cap is the most they can charge. Some places charge less, but many facilities treat the cap like a target.
The Sneaky $0.02 Add-On
There is a new detail in the 2026 landscape that is kind of a gut punch for families. The FCC added a $0.02 per minute "facility fee" on top of the base rates. This was done to appease sheriffs and private operators who complained they were losing money by providing phone access.
It sounds small. Two cents? Whatever.
But if you’re talking for 300 minutes a month, that’s an extra $6.00 just for the privilege of the facility "administering" the call. Over a year, that’s $72.00 gone for literally nothing in return.
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Video Calling: The New Profit Center
Since phone rates are now (somewhat) regulated, companies like Global Tel Link have leaned hard into video visitation. It’s the "Wild West" of the industry.
The rates for video are much steeper. In a large prison, you might pay $0.25 per minute. In a tiny county jail, that rate can skyrocket to $0.44 per minute.
A 20-minute video visit could easily cost you nearly $9.00.
State-Level Heroes: Where Calls Are Free
Not everything is bad news. A few states have looked at the federal mess and decided to just opt out of the profit game entirely. If your loved one is in a state-run facility in one of these places, the global tel link rates won't matter because the calls are free:
- California (The big pioneer here)
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Colorado
In these states, the government pays the vendor directly, and families don't pay a dime for standard domestic calls. If you're in one of the other 45 states, though, you're still on the hook.
Watch Out for the "Ancillary" Trap
The FCC has tried to ban "ancillary fees"—those annoying extra charges for just putting money on your account. In theory, you shouldn't be paying $5.00 just to use your credit card on the GTL website anymore.
However, "automated payment fees" (around $3.00) and "live agent fees" ($5.95) still pop up in many contracts. Always check if there is a "Free" way to deposit funds, like a mail-in money order, even if it’s slower.
Actionable Steps to Lower Your Bill
Don't just accept the first bill you get. There are ways to navigate the system.
Verify the facility type. Check if the place your loved one is held is a "prison" or a "jail." Jails (local) usually have higher rates than prisons (state). If they are moved from a jail to a prison, your rate should drop.
Set up an AdvancePay account. GTL pushes this hard because they get your money upfront, but it usually offers slightly better protection against weird per-call surcharges compared to collect calls.
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Check for "Free Call" days. Some GTL contracts include a "one free five-minute call per week" rule. It’s not much, but if you’re tight on cash, use that time for the essential check-ins and save the paid minutes for the deep stuff.
Audit your statements. Seriously. Look for "Regulatory Assessment Surcharges" or "USF" fees. These are legal, but if you see a flat "Transaction Fee" every time you call, and you aren't in a facility that specifically allows it, you might be getting overcharged.
Use local numbers. If you live far away, sometimes setting up a secondary "local" VoIP number that forwards to your cell can bypass "Interstate" (long distance) rates, though the FCC has worked to make the price difference between in-state and out-of-state calls much smaller than it used to be.