Section 623. Inmate telephone services

1. Telephone services contracts for
  inmates in  state  correctional  facilities  shall  be  subject  to  the
  procurement  provisions  as  set  forth  in  article eleven of the state
  finance law provided, however, that when determining the best  value  of
  such  telephone  service, the lowest possible cost to the telephone user
  shall be emphasized.
    2. The department shall make available either a "prepaid" or  "collect
  call" system, or a combination thereof, for telephone service. Under the
  "prepaid" system, funds may be deposited into an account in order to pay
  for  station-to-station calls, provided that nothing in this subdivision
  shall require the department to provide or administer a prepaid  system.
  Under  a  "collect call" system, call recipients are billed for the cost
  of an accepted  telephone  call  initiated  by  an  inmate.  Under  such
  "collect  call"  system, the provider of inmate telephone service, as an
  additional means of payment, must permit the recipient of  inmate  calls
  to  establish an account with such provider in order to deposit funds to
  pay for such collect calls in advance.
    3. The department shall not accept or receive revenue in excess of its
  reasonable  operating  cost  for  establishing  and  administering  such
  telephone  system  services  as  provided in subdivisions one and two of
  this section.
    4.  The  department  shall  establish   rules   and   regulations   or
  departmental  procedures  to  ensure  that  any inmate phone call system
  established by this section provides  reasonable  security  measures  to
  preserve  the  safety  and  security  of each correctional facility, all
  staff and all persons outside a facility who may  receive  inmate  phone
  calls.