FCC Staff Adopt ICS Data Collection Order

The FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics adopted many of the proposals for the third mandatory data collection for inmate calling services, in an order Tuesday in docket 12-375 (see 2111050045). The reporting period was expanded to three years. ICS providers must report customer prepayments separately and any interest paid on prepayments. The bureau adopted its proposal on the types of data collected and added figures for new account generation and termination. It also adopted its proposal to require weekly turnover data. Site commissions must be categorized as either legally mandated or contractually prescribed. These payments must also be disaggregated between monetary and in-kind payments, as well as whether they are fixed or variable. Providers will be required to report how site commissions are allocated between ICS and non-ICS operations. The bureau expanded its proposal on security costs to include providers’ security and surveillance services "outside the site commission section."