The FCC’s cap on prison phone and video rates is increasing, and costs for families in Oklahoma and all across the country are rising again. No one should profit from a mother’s call to her child. It’s time for lasting #PhoneJustice.

What a day! We can't believe the 43rd Annual Parker Lecture & Awards Breakfast was more than a week ago! Read the full recap on the blog: buff.ly/2i2kZ7p Watch the full video of the event: buff.ly/YSr0GEz

What an incredible morning. The 43rd Annual Parker Lecture wasn’t just a celebration of the Reverend Dr. Everett C. Parker’s legacy — it was a charge to action. Check out the event video, select photos of the event (more to come soon!) and our recap press release.

If today’s Parker Lecture inspired you, help us keep this work going. Your gift supports faith-rooted advocacy for communication rights and media justice. Give today: buff.ly/LdWalL5 #ParkerLecture2025

Stay connected with UCC Media Justice! Join our email list for updates on how people of faith are advancing communication rights and access for all. Sign up today: buff.ly/FY9okLa #ParkerLecture2025

Commissioner @agomezfcc.bsky.social lays out the Trump FCC’s immoral and inhumane attacks on inclusion, connection, dissent, and diversity of viewpoint at the @uccmediajustice.org #ParkerLecture2025.

Dr. Safiya Noble joins us as this year’s Parker Lecturer. Her groundbreaking work exposes how tech can reinforce inequality—and calls us to build technology rooted in fairness and equity. Watch the keynote now: www.youtube.com/live/zKqoWmR... #ParkerLecture2025

The media justice movement lost a true champion this year. Brandi Collins-Dexter made such an impact. We’re grateful to @stevenrenderos.bsky.socialis of @mediajustice.bsky.social who is here to help us honor her work through our 2025 Parker Award. www.youtube.com/live/zKqoWmR... #ParkerLecture2025

Honoring courage and truth in public service. Rev. Donna Schaper presents @agomezfcc.bsky.social with the Newton N. Minow Award for her fearless commitment to serving the public interest. Watch live: www.youtube.com/live/zKqoWmR... #ParkerLecture2025

Faith in action means advocacy in public. Rev. Shari Prestemon of the @unitedchurch.bsky.social calls for media justice as essential to racial, economic, and environmental justice. Join the live stream: www.youtube.com/live/zKqoWmR... #ParkerLecture2025

Today's the day! We'll post live updates from #ParkerLecture2025 here on Bluesky. Then, bookmark the live feed if you're tuning in from home:

It's not too late to get your ticket for #ParkerLecture2025! Join us in person in Washington, D.C., or virtually tomorrow! 🎟️ Get yours here to let us know you're coming: buff.ly/ofB1BVl

@agomezfcc.bsky.social: attacks on the First Amendment can’t become “the new normal.” Her leadership reminds us why protecting a free and diverse media is essential to democracy & justice. Tomorrow, she receives the Newton N. Minow Award at #ParkerLecture2025. Get your tickets:

NEWS: I’m leading my colleagues in denouncing FCC Chair Carr’s unlawful plan to increase costs on law-abiding Americans who wish to keep in touch with their incarcerated loved ones. Congress passed a law to lower prison phone rates. Carr must do his job and enforce the law.

FCC Makes a Bad Decision Worse: Even more outrageous rate increases for incarcerated people

We're here at the FCC speaking up for the most vilnerable, opposing the increase in communication rates for incarcerated people. #phonejustice

UCC Media Justice isn't the only one outraged at the horrible reversal happening today. Thanks @duckworth.senate.gov for continuing to lead the charge! www.theverge.com/news/807422/...

We're here at the FCC this morning campaigning for phone justice, fighting the rate INCREASE for incarcerated people and their families.

Brandi Collins-Dexter changed the landscape of media justice — building movements for equity, accountability, and truth. Next Thursday, we will honor her life and legacy with the Parker Award at #ParkerLecture2025. Read @freepress.bsky.social's beautiful reflections on her legacy: buff.ly/iepkIcs

“The internet isn’t neutral — it mirrors the inequalities of the society that built it.” — Dr. @safiyanoble.bsky.social, our 2025 Parker Lecturer Get your #ParkerLecture2025 ticket: buff.ly/GpHFSKc

“The escalation of aggression against peaceful protestors is another reflection of the cruelty & lack of regard this current administration has for the constitution & law. No one is safe from tyranny.” -Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, GMP/CEO, UCC Photo credit: David Bacon

The FCC is proposing to raise the cost of prison phone calls by as much as 83%. The total impact of all changes will cost approximately $215 million, stripped from people already facing injustice. Communication is a human right. #PhoneJustice

Thanks to @repbarragan.bsky.social and @repyvetteclarke.bsky.social + 33 Reps for their strong support of #phonejustice!

Thanks to @civilrightsorg.bsky.social's Center for Civil Rights & Technology for including our #phonejustice fact sheet in their quarterly newsletter! buff.ly/MPZS56R

I'm glad to see journalists' courage in pushing back against the Administration's attempt to censor the media. Our Fourth Estate must be free to hold power to account without fear or favor.

"When unjust and unreasonable communications rates cut off an incarcerated person from vital connections… the harm extends far beyond a single family." 🎥 Revisit @duckworth.senate.gov's powerful remarks after receiving the 2023 Everett C. Parker Award as we prepare for #ParkerLecture2025:

"God calls us to create communities where accommodations & accessibility are part of our love language, with dignity gracefully extended to all people. Everyone is created in the image of God, no exceptions." -Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson Learn more-UCC Disability Justice Ministry: uccdm.org

The FCC unveiled a plan to raise price caps on prison & jail calls — undoing historic reforms that made it easier for families to stay connected. Families and loved ones shouldn’t pay for connection. #phonejustice

The Digital Equity Act passed with bipartisan support — yet its competitive grant program was repealed by executive order. Now our friends at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance & Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights are suing to bring it back & restore digital access for 30K people in 11 states.

Together We Are Stronger!! This #IndigenousPeoplesDay remember our multiracial democracy cannot thrive without a government that is willing to WORK FOR US ALL!! Learn more about how to support civil and human rights for Native communities at https://bit.ly/47iHHik https://bit.ly/4h6EpST

We're thrilled to present FCC Commissioner @agomezfcc.bsky.social with the Newton N. Minow Award at #ParkerLecture2025! The award recognizes, in particular, Gomez’s dedication to the First Amendment during a time when it has been under threat like never before. Join us on Oct. 30: buff.ly/XCGz5vW

"They need the family connections; they need to get better, and mental health and all that is not good in there if they're not connecting with their family." #PhoneJustice TAKE ACTION: buff.ly/uDwowBZ

“Tech doesn’t just reflect society—it shapes it.” Hear @safiyanoble.bsky.social on KPFA’s Hard Knock Radio. Then join us as she delivers the Parker Lecture at #ParkerLecture2025: buff.ly/gvillAW

Stay tuned for more updates! #phonejustice

The Supreme Court gave the administration the green light to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. This is a dangerous precedent that weakens the agency’s independence and silences dissenting voices. buff.ly/i4mQHKJ

When South Park takes aim at FCC chair Brendan Carr, you know the attack on free speech has gone mainstream. Carr’s threats against Jimmy Kimmel were so over the line they’re now a cartoon punchline — but the harm to democracy is real.

Profiting from human connection is wrong. In Kalamazoo, families pay thousands for jail calls — and now the FCC threatens to make this cruelty worse nationwide once again. Faith calls us to stand for dignity and justice.

"You can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been." 🎥 Revisit the Rev. Julian DeShazier's powerful 2019 Parker Lecture remarks as we prepare for #ParkerLecture2025:

The FCC is supposed to serve the public. Instead, it’s bending to pressure from prison phone companies—cancelling long-overdue relief for families. Read more:

FCC Chair Carr’s intimidation tactics drew fire even from conservatives. UCC Media Justice board treasurer Sara Fitzgerald explores what Kimmel’s case reveals about the threats facing free expression on the @unitedchurch.bsky.social blog:

We are humbled to present the Everett C. Parker Award posthumously to Brandi Collins-Dexter at #ParkerLecture2025. Brandi’s legacy in media justice continues to guide our work. Join us on Oct. 30: buff.ly/KQpXSyb

"We will not be able to solve the existential crises facing our nation or our species ... without a free and open internet." 🎥 Revisit Valarie Kaur's stirring 2020 Parker Lecture remarks as we prepare for #ParkerLecture2025:

Phone and video calls from prison are a lifeline for families. #PhoneJustice But on Oct. 28, the FCC could betray its promise to keep those calls affordable. Learn more about what's at stake and how you can act:

"Public participation is the cornerstone of a fair, open, and inclusive regulatory process." We're proud to join @sensiblesafeguards.bsky.social & 100+ organizations in calling on the General Services Administration to restore a vital public comments tool:

Oklahoma families are paying more than double to hear loved ones’ voices after a sudden prison phone rate hike. Why? The FCC abandoned them and pulled back safeguards we worked so hard to make possible through The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act. #phonejustice

"The FCC chairman's bullying of the network is clearly a perversion of the notion of 'operating in the public interest,' not to mention freedom of the press itself." ICYMI—our latest blog post from UCC Media Justice board treasurer Sara Fitzgerald:

“This is the point in history when we have the privilege to launch a 21st-century civil rights movement—one that speaks to the challenges of today." 🎥 Revisit @bulldogshadow.bsky.social's 2021 Parker Lecture remarks as we prepare for #ParkerLecture2025:

Please join us in taking action with our friends at @freepress.bsky.social:

FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC affiliates over Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air comments. It’s not the first time networks have bowed to power—and history warns us what’s at stake. Read our latest blog from UCC Media Justice board treasurer Sara Fitzgerald:

Affordable reliable communications for incarcerated people is essential. What does it mean to write, work, and dream in the age of prison Wi-Fi? ✍️📶 Journalist John J. Lennon, writing from Sing Sing, explores the promise—and the exploitation—of digital technology behind bars.