Hood, Jim

<h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">History[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Tel_Link&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: History" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">edit</a>]</h2>GTL was founded in 1980 in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile,Alabama" title="Mobile, Alabama" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">Mobile, Alabama</a> under the name Global Telcoin, Inc. The company changed its name in 1999 to Global TelLink Corporation.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-BusinessWeek_2017-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[2]</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private-equity" class="mw-redirect" title="Private-equity" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">Private-equity</a> firms <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veritas_Capital" title="Veritas Capital" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Veritas Capital</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Sachs" title="Goldman Sachs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Goldman Sachs</a> purchased GTL from Gores Equity LLC for $345 million.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-private_equity_2012-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[5]</a>:23 In October 2011, GTL was sold for $1 billion.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[6]</a><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Controversies</h2>GTL, along with other similar entities such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Securus_Technologies" title="Securus Technologies" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Securus Technologies</a> and the wealthy private-equity firms that own them, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veritas_Capital" title="Veritas Capital" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Veritas Capital</a>, have been criticized by advocacy groups, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Business, and some lawmakers, for charging overly high prices in their monopoly in communication with incarcerated individuals. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Communications_Commission" title="Federal Communications Commission" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Federal Communications Commission</a> (FCC) has tried unsuccessfully for many years to cap the price of phone calls.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none rgb(255, 255, 102);">[</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">7]</a><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Litigation[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Tel_Link&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Litigation" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">edit</a>]</h2>The company has faced a number of class action lawsuits for violating the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Communications_Act" class="mw-redirect" title="Federal Communications Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">Federal Communications Act</a>. The plaintiffs claim that the company uses its position to establish high rates and pays kickbacks to facilities which award it the contract.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[8]</a> In March 2016, the FCC ruled that Global TelLink could be limited on its prison call costs.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-Ina_Fried-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[9]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi" title="Mississippi" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">Mississippi</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attorney_General" class="mw-redirect" title="Attorney General" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">Attorney General</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hood" title="Jim Hood" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">Jim Hood</a> filed a lawsuit against Global Tel Link for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racket(crime)" title="Racket (crime)" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">racketeering</a>, stating that the company was "involved in a conspiracy, scheme and/or enterprise that included bribery, kickbacks, misrepresentations, fraud, concealment, money laundering and other wrongful conduct."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[10]</a> The suit alleged that GTL had paid "consulting fees" to an agent of the company, which were used in exchange for Mississippi Department of Corrections public contracts.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[11</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none rgb(255, 255, 102);">]</a> Global Tel Link paid $2.5 million to settle the bribery lawsuit involving former Corrections Commissioner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Epps" title="Chris Epps" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Chris Epps</a> in August 2017.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[12]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[13]</a><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">Reception[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Tel_Link&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Reception" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">edit</a>]</h2>GTL came under scrutiny for entering into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concession_(contract)" title="Concession (contract)" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">concession contracts</a> with local prisons in order to have a monopoly on the provision of inmate telecom. The FCC reported that an inmate call from GTL could cost as much as US$17.30 for a 15 minute call,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-Dezember-14" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[14]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[15]</a> The company claimed that these high costs were required in order to securely monitor these calls.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[16]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[17]</a>In 2015, the FCC implemented a rule to cap the fees for interstate inmate phone calls at $3.75 for 15 minutes. But, in March 2016, a federal court ruled that the FCC could not cap rates on prison phone calls, but upheld its ability to cap other ancillary charges.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-Ina_Fried-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[9]</a> In June 2017, the US Court of Appeals further rolled back the FCC rule.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Tel_Link#cite_note-USCA201706-18" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background: none;">[18]</a><h2 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;">References</h2><div>=</div>