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| Prisoner sues over 75-cent cable fee |
| By pittsburghlive.com |
| Published: 01/20/2010 |
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An inmate serving time for robbery has filed a lawsuit over a 75-cent fee in his monthly cable bill. Joel Santos Maldonado, 28, of Lancaster is serving a 12- to 26-year sentence at the State Correctional Institute at Fayette in Labelle, Luzerne Township. To pass the time, he subscribes to cable TV at a cost of $16.50 monthly, according to his self-filed lawsuit. For the money, Maldonado and other inmates who subscribe to Texas-based Correctional Cable TV receive 47 channels, according to Rhonda House, a spokeswoman at the prison. From their cells, inmates have 24-hour access to local channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC and WQED. In addition, they can watch the Travel Channel, TBS, USA, WGN, TV Land, TNT, Animal Planet, ESPN, CNN, MTV, CSPAN, A&E, Spike and Discovery, among other channels. Maldonado took issue with the prison's $16.50 monthly fee in August, when the state corrections department notified inmates they would have to pay a 75-cent administrative fee, according to his lawsuit. The state fee is included in the $16.50 monthly subscription, with the cable provider receiving the balance, or $15.75, the lawsuit said. Maldonado wants a judge to put a halt to the 75-cent charge. In addition, he wants an unspecified amount in damages. Maldonado filed the lawsuit in November in Commonwealth Court, which recently transferred the case to Fayette County. The state breached his contract with the cable provider when it tacked on the 75-cent fee, Maldonado claimed in the lawsuit. "DOC has vigorously and improperly interfered with the business relationship and contract between plaintiff and CCTV," Maldonado alleged. Corrections department spokeswoman Susan Bensinger yesterday said the fee has been assessed for the past four years. "The inmate signs an agreement that states we charge this fee when he elects to purchase cable," Bensinger said. "If he doesn't want to pay the fee, he can simply elect to not purchase cable TV service." Maldonado, who earns 33 cents an hour doing maintenance work at the prison as a labor foreman, calls the fee an "unlawful increase." Read More. |
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