Birch Agrees to Pay FCC Fine for Slamming, Cramming, Deceptive Marketing
The FCC reached an agreement with Birch Communications resolving an Enforcement Bureau investigation of whether the carrier had “slammed” consumers by switching their preferred phone carriers without authorization. Birch also allegedly “crammed” unauthorized charges on customers’ bills and engaged in…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
deceptive marketing, the FCC said in a Thursday news release. In the settlement, Birch agreed to pay a $4.2 million penalty, refund at least $1.9 million to consumers who filed complaints within the past two years and adopt a compliance plan, the FCC said. “It is plainly unacceptable for any carrier to misrepresent its identity or purpose in order to mislead consumers into switching their preferred provider and to add unauthorized charges to consumer bills,” said Travis LeBlanc, chief of the Enforcement Bureau. The Atlanta-based carrier didn’t comment.