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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  7,  2003  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  John  Winston  (202)  418-  7450 
 FCC  ORDERS  HEARING  INTO  APPARENT  DECEPTIVE  MARKETING  PRACTICES  BY  NOS  COMMUNICATIONS,  INC.  AND  AFFILIATED  CARRIERS 
 Washington,  D.  C.  -  Today  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  announced  it  has  decided  to  hold  a  hearing  to  determine  whether  to  revoke  the  common  carrier  operating  authority 
 of  affiliated  long  distance  companies  NOS  Communications,  Inc.  (NOS),  Affinity  Network  Incorporated  (ANI),  and  NOSVA  Limited  Partnership  (NOSVA)  (collectively,  the  Companies), 
 for  apparently  engaging  in  a  deceptive  marketing  campaign  designed  to  induce  former  customers  to  authorize  switches  back  to  the  Companies’  services  based  on  misleading  information. 


 An  Enforcement  Bureau  investigation  uncovered  evidence  that  the  Companies  appear  to  have  had  a  practice  of  calling  former  customers,  misrepresenting  that  their  lines  had  not  been 
 completely  switched  to  their  new  preferred  carriers,  and  threatening  service  disruption  if  the  customers  did  not  sign  allegedly  temporary  Letters  of  Authorization  to  keep  their  services 
 running  until  the  switches  could  be  completed.  The  Commission  found  that  this  scheme  appears  to  be  an  unjust  and  unreasonable  practice  in  violation  of  section  201  of  the  Communications  Act. 


 The  Commission  determined  that,  due  to  the  egregious  nature  of  the  Companies'  apparently  unlawful  activities,  the  Companies  must  show  cause  as  to  why  an  order  to  cease  and  desist  from 
 the  provision  of  any  interstate  common  carrier  services  without  the  prior  consent  of  the  Commission  should  not  be  issued.  The  hearing  will  also  determine  whether  the  Commission 
 should  impose  a  monetary  forfeiture  against  the  Companies,  and  the  amount  of  any  such  fine.  The  date  of  the  hearing  will  be  established  in  a  forthcoming  order  from  the  Administrative  Law 
 Judge  assigned  to  the  case. 
 NOS  is  a  Maryland  corporation  with  its  principal  place  of  business  in  Rockville,  Maryland;  ANI  is  a  California  corporation  with  its  principal  place  of  business  in  Las  Vegas,  Nevada;  and 
 NOSVA  is  a  Maryland  corporation  with  its  principal  offices  in  Bethesda,  Maryland. 
 Action  by  the  Commission  April  2,  2003,  by  Order  to  Show  Cause  and  Notice  of  Opportunity  for  Hearing  (FCC  03-  75).  Chairman  Powell;  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps, 
 Martin  and  Adelstein. 
 File  No.  EB-  02-  TC-  119 
 Enforcement  Bureau  Contacts:  John  Winston  at  (202)  418-  7450  or  Donna  Cyrus  at  418-  7325. 
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