The Hard Sell

Upon his release in 2002, Brian Prins founded Outside Connection in a bid to undercut the collect-calling services that contract with prisons. Those contracts create virtual monopolies that charge a big premium--as much as four times the standard rate for collect calls. With Outside Connection, fami...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business 2.0 (2001) 2006-12, Vol.7 (11), p.62
Main Author: Myser, Michael
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Entrepreneurs
Imprisonment
National security
Prins, Brian
Prison overcrowding
Prisoners
Prisons
Startups
Technology adoption
Telecommunications industry
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Upon his release in 2002, Brian Prins founded Outside Connection in a bid to undercut the collect-calling services that contract with prisons. Those contracts create virtual monopolies that charge a big premium--as much as four times the standard rate for collect calls. With Outside Connection, family members and friends buy discounted phone time, and prisoners are given a direct-dial local number that routes calls straight to a family's chosen phone. Calls can also be sent to cell or Internet phones, which isn't possible with traditional collect calls. Because it's a prepaid service, Outside Connection is never stuck with the bill, avoiding one of the major reasons traditional services charge inmates exorbitant rates.
ISSN:1538-1730