TelecomTV TelecomTV
  • News
  • Videos
  • Channels
  • Events
  • Network Partners
  • Industry Insights
  • Directory
  • Newsletters
  • Open RAN
  • Digital Platforms and Services
  • 5G
  • Access Evolution
  • Private Networks
  • Cloud Native
  • Edge
  • Open Networking
  • Sustainability
  • AI, Analytics and Automation
  • 6G Research and Innovation
  • Security
  • More Topics
  • Network Partners
  • Industry Insights
  • Directory
  • Newsletters
  • |
  • About
  • Contact
  • |
  • Connect with us
  • 5G
  • 6G Research and Innovation
  • Access Evolution
  • AI, Analytics and Automation
  • Cloud Native
  • Digital Platforms and Services
  • Edge
  • Open Networking
  • Open RAN
  • Private Networks
  • Security
  • Sustainability
  • Connect with TelecomTV
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Sign In Register Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
    • Register
  • Search

Industry Announcements

Tracker

GPSPS Fined $9M for Illegal Phone Co. Swaps, Charges, Fake Recordings

Via FCC Headlines

Jul 24, 2015

FCC FINES GPSPS $9.065 MILLION FOR ILLEGALLY BILLING CUSTOMERS AND SWITCHING THEIR PHONE COMPANIES

Long Distance Carrier Relied on Fabricated “Authorization” Recordings to Mislead the Commission and State Regulators

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2015 – The Federal Communications Commission has fined GPSPS, Inc., an Atlanta, GA telephone company, $9,065,000 for switching consumers’ long distance carriers without their authorization (“slamming”), billing consumers for unauthorized charges (“cramming”), and submitting falsified evidence to government regulatory officials as “proof” that consumers had authorized the company to switch their long distance providers.

“Companies that engage in these practices betray consumers who trust that their telephone bills will contain only authorized charges,” said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “Today’s announcement makes clear that the FCC will take strong action against those who switch consumers’ telephone carriers without authorization and then mislead the government to try to avoid detection.”

The Enforcement Bureau reviewed more than 150 complaints against GPSPS that consumers filed with the Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and the Better Business Bureau. Consumers complained that GPSPS switched their long distance service provider without their authorization even though they had never heard of or spoken to the company before discovering GPSPS’s charges on their telephone bills. In many cases, GPSPS refused to refund all of the unauthorized fees it charged consumers. Instead, the company misrepresented to consumers that they or someone in their household had authorized GPSPS’s service, and that GPSPS possessed an audio recording evidencing the authorization. The audio “verification” recordings GPSPS mentioned to consumers were fake. GPSPS submitted these fabricated recordings to the Commission and state regulatory authorities as “proof” that the consumers authorized its service.

With today’s action, the Commission has now taken more than 30 enforcement actions for cramming or slamming in the past five years. These actions have announced more than $100 million in penalties, and are slated to return more than $250 million to consumers. For more information about the FCC’s rules protecting consumers from unauthorized charges on phone bills, see the FCC consumer guide, Cramming – Unauthorized, Misleading, or Deceptive Charges Placed on Your Telephone Bill.

Related Topics
  • Announcement,
  • FCC,
  • Government,
  • News,
  • North America,
  • Tracker

More Like This

Access Evolution

América Móvil spins off telecommunications towers to Sitios Latinoamérica

Aug 9, 2022

5G

Properly Leveraging 5G Infrastructure Will Lead to Over 3.6 Billion 5G Positioning Enabled Device Shipments by 2030

Aug 9, 2022

Private Networks

Nokia selected by The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia to modernize rail communications in Perth with private wireless and IP/MPLS technologies

Aug 9, 2022

Access Evolution

Verizon Frontline connects first responders battling wildfires nationwide

Aug 8, 2022

Digital Platforms & Services

TIM signs expansion contract with Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and trade unions

Aug 8, 2022

This content extract was originally sourced from an external website (FCC Headlines) and is the copyright of the external website owner. TelecomTV is not responsible for the content of external websites. Legal Notices

Email Newsletters

Stay up to date with the latest industry developments: sign up to receive TelecomTV's top news and videos plus exclusive subscriber-only content direct to your inbox – including our daily news briefing and weekly wrap.

Subscribe

Top Picks

Highlights of our content from across TelecomTV today

0:46

The Cloud Native Telco Summit returns this September!

8:32

Azita Arvani on Being a Female Leader at Rakuten Symphony

16:19

AT&T Amy Zwarico on securing telco applications in the public cloud

1:44

Join us for the greatest industry debate of the year!

TelecomTV
Company
  • About Us
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
Our Brands
  • DSP Leaders World Forum
  • Great Telco Debate
  • TelecomTV Events
Get In Touch
[email protected]
+44 (0) 207 448 1070
Connect With Us
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Terms of Use
  • Legal Notices
  • Help

TelecomTV is produced by the team at Decisive Media.

© Decisive Media Limited 2022. All rights reserved. All brands and products are the trademarks of their respective holder(s).