FCC fines for unauthorized carrier changes and consumer billing

Fri Apr 23 16:58:14 UTC 2021

On Apr 23, 2021, at 12:47 PM, Sean Donelan <sean at donelan.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Apr 2021, Dan Hollis wrote:
>> On Fri, 23 Apr 2021, Eric Kuhnke wrote:
>>> Did the FCC ever collect its $50 million from "Sandwich Isles
>>> Telecommunications" for blatant fraud?  At this scale I wonder how or why
>>> certain people are not in federal prison.
>> 
>> FCC is not law enforcement. The FTC can send people to prison. The FCC can only send press releases.
> 
> Neither FCC nor FTC can send people to prison. Only the Department of Justice can criminally prosecute people (or corporations, i.e. WORLDCOM, ENRON, etc) in the U.S. Federal system.  States and other countries vary.
> 
> FCC can deny future licenses and make things difficult for long-term carriers. Most scammers declare bankruptcy or just never pay.
> 
> 
> https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/fcc-fine-enforcement-scrutiny-216121
> FCC proposes millions in fines, collects $0
> November 23, 2015

It just got harder for the FTC to fine people: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2021/04/22/supreme-court-limits-ftcs-ability-recoup-illgotten-gains

-- 
TTFN,
patrick