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 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  March  13,  2001  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  John  Winston  (202)  418-  7450 
 FCC  PROPOSES  $1,  020,000  FORFEITURE  AGAINST  AMERICA’S  TELE-  NETWORK  CORP  FOR  SLAMMING  VIOLATIONS 
 Washington,  D.  C.  -  Today  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (Commission)  released  a  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  proposing  a  $1,020,000  fine  against  America’s 
 Tele-  Network  Corp.  (ATNC)  for  apparent  violations  of  the  Commission’s  rules  against 
 slamming.  Slamming  is  the  illegal  practice  of  switching  a  consumer’s  preferred  long  distance  or  other  telephone  service  provider  without  the  consumer’s  consent. 


 Last  year,  the  Commission  received  over  260  consumer  complaints  against  ATNC. 
 Commission  staff  investigated  many  of  the  allegations  and  based  the  proposed  fine  on  16  consumer  complaints,  representing  17  alleged  violations. 


 The  Commission  determined  that  ATNC  is  apparently  liable  for  a  fine  of  $40,  000  for 
 each  of  the  17  alleged  violations,  or  $680,000.  The  Commission  further  determined  that,  due  to  an  apparent  pattern  of  intentional  and  egregious  misconduct,  the  fine  should 


 be  increased  by  50%,  for  a  total  fine  of  $1,020,000.  ATNC  has  30  days  to  either  pay  the  proposed  fine,  or  show  why  it  should  be  reduced  or  not  imposed. 


 ATNC  is  a  corporation  headquartered  in  Roswell,  Georgia.  The  consumers  described  in 
 this  forfeiture  action  reside  in  Florida,  New  York,  Delaware,  Washington,  D.  C,  Rhode  Island  and  Missouri. 


 Action  by  the  Commission,  March  12,  2001,  by  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  (FCC  01-  87)  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Ness,  Furchtgott-  Roth,  and  Tristani. 
 File  No.  EB-  00-  TC-  164 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Contacts:  John  Winston  at  (202)  418-  7450  or  Colleen  Heitkamp  at 
 (202)  418-  7320. 
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