Securus/TKC Prison Calling Deal Withdrawn Under FCC Pressure
Securus Technologies dropped its planned buy of Inmate Calling Solutions from TKC Holdings after encountering FCC concerns. Wright Petitioners, the Urban Justice Center's Corrections Accountability Project and others earlier urged the FCC to reject the deal, which would have combined…
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two dominant players in prison calling (see 1807170054). Representatives from the two companies were at the FCC last week to discuss the transaction, with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai and staff from the Wireline Bureau and Office of General Counsel, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-193. On Tuesday, the two companies said in a filing not yet posted they're withdrawing their application. The companies didn’t comment. “Sometimes, David does in fact beat Goliath,” said Davina Sashkin, lawyer at Fletcher Heald. "Based on a record of nearly 1 million documents comprised of 7.7 million pages of information submitted by the applicants, as well as arguments and evidence submitted by criminal justice advocates, consumer groups, and other commenters, FCC staff concluded that this deal posed significant competitive concerns and would not be in the public interest," Chairman Ajit Pai said Tuesday evening. "I agree. I’m therefore pleased that the companies have determined that withdrawing their application is the best course.”