This week, the Common Carrier Bureau's Enforcement Division (Enforcement
Division) issued citations to several companies that apparently have violated the
Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) and the Commission's
telemarketing rules. The Enforcement Division's actions were based upon consumer
complaints asserting that the cited companies had sent unsolicited advertisements to the
consumers' telephone facsimile machines. The citations place each company on notice
that subsequent violations may result in monetary forfeitures of up to $11,000 per
violation.
In the citation letter, the alleged violators are informed that they have 21 days to
respond to the allegations, either by attending a personal interview at a Commission Field
Office, or by submitting a written statement to the Commission. In their response, the
alleged violators must specify what actions have been taken to ensure future compliance
with the TCPA and applicable Commission rules. The following companies received
citations this week: Headset Discounter, LLC, San Francisco, CA; Get-Aways, Inc.,
Camarillo, CA; US Notary, El Cajon, CA; Tri-Star Marketing, Everett, WA; and Carolina
Liquidators, Irving, Texas.
Currently, the sending of unsolicited advertisements to facsimile machines is the
top TCPA-related complaint to the Commission, which has handled over a thousand such
complaints so far this year. Complaints against these companies have been received from
consumers nationwide. To remedy this problem, the Commission will continue to issue
citations to companies that have allegedly violated the TCPA or the Commission's
telemarketing rules.
Action by the Common Carrier Bureau, Enforcement Division, by citation.
