I have a question... in order for a phone number to be considred "local" does it only need to have the same area code as the prison? Or do the first 3 digits of the number also have to be the same as the prison phone number? Any help regarding this matter will be much apprecaited!

Local would be *area code* *local exchange* *four digit number* so in the case of 222-555-3333 the local number(s) would be the 555 and any other numbers that were also within the local exchange as is seen in large metro areas. However, I can confirm, that there is little or no difference in the distance when it comes to the local or long distance fees with collect calls made from within a prison system with one exception and that is when the calls are crossing a country boarder. It was, for instance, the same cost for me to call Maine or California from prison. It is still the same cost in Texas for a phone call, regardless of your location, as the fees are from the operator of the POTS system itself and are often done with huge kickbacks to the prison system from the telco involved for the exclusivity (so not a word).

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Thanks for your reply Galen, that was helpful! As for local call charges, I heard if the call was to a local # the costs can go down significantly...

My calls dropped over $5 a call when I changed to a local number on my cell phone. So now I pay $2 for a 20 minute call.

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