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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  April  17,  2001  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  John  Winston  (202)  418-  7450 
 FCC  IMPOSES  $520,000  SLAMMING  FINE  AGAINST  AT&  T 
 Washington,  D.  C.  -  Today  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (Commission) 
 released  an  Order  imposing  a  $520,000  fine  against  AT&  T  Communications,  Inc.  (AT&  T)  for  violations  of  the  Communications  Act  and  the  Commission’s  rules  against 


 slamming. 
 Today’s  order  resolves  a  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  (NAL)  issued  by  the  Commission  against  AT&  T  on  December  21,  2000.  In  its  response  to  the  NAL,  AT&  T  did  not  deny 
 that  it  submitted  unauthorized  change  orders  for  six  of  the  consumer  telephone  lines,  but  argued  that  the  Commission  should  reduce  or  rescind  the  fine  for  these  violations. 
 In  regard  to  the  remaining  eight  alleged  violations,  AT&  T  argued  in  its  response  that  no  slamming  violations  had  actually  occurred. 


 In  today’s  action,  the  Commission  found  that  AT&  T  slammed  11  of  the  14  customer 
 telephone  lines  referenced  in  the  NAL.  With  respect  to  the  remaining  three  allegations,  the  Commission  found  that  the  available  evidence  indicated  that  those  consumers  did, 


 in  fact,  authorize  switching  their  carriers. 


 Action  by  the  Commission,  April  12,  2001,  by  Order  of  Forfeiture  FCC  01-  128. 
 Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Ness  and  Tristani.  Commissioner  Furchtgott-  Roth  concurring  in  part  and  dissenting  in  part,  and  issuing  a  separate  statement. 


 File  No.  EB-  00-  TC-  006 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Contacts:  John  Winston  at  (202)  418-  7450  or  Catherine  Seidel  at 
 (202)  418-  7320. 
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