The FCC said it plans to fine 2 carriers $1.5 million for not pay...
The FCC said it plans to fine 2 carriers $1.5 million for not paying Universal Service Fund (USF) contributions and regulatory fees. The agency issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) proposing a $1.33 million fine against OCMC Inc.…
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for not making USF contributions and a fine of $280,000 against Telecom Management Inc. (TMI) for not paying USF contributions or regulatory fees. The FCC action shows “a no tolerance policy” on carriers that fail to make such payments, the FCC said. OCMC is an operator service provider, interexchange carrier and toll reseller. It told the Commission it hadn’t paid because it was in a billing dispute with the Universal Service Administrative Co., which handles collection of USF contributions. But the FCC said “the existence of this billing dispute does not excuse OCMC’s violations” because carriers can’t “engage in self-help” by not paying fees during a billing dispute. TMI sells long distance, toll-free service and phone cards by reselling service purchased from Global Crossing and hadn’t registered as a reseller. Registration is necessary to be subject to the FCC’s fee programs. The companies have 30 days to pay the fines or file a written statement seeking a reduction or cancellation.