AT&T, Verizon Make Case Against FCC Forfeiture Process to Supreme Court
Fines are the agency’s main enforcement mechanism.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2026 – AT&T and Verizon continued their push Wednesday for the Supreme Court to find invalid the Federal Communications Commission’s method of issuing fines.
Both the FCC and the two carriers, each contesting a penalty, have asked justices to resolve a circuit split on the issue. The high court accepted, and oral arguments in the case are set for April 21, 2026.
“The Seventh Amendment entitles defendants to plead their case to a jury before the FCC enters final, binding forfeiture orders against them,” the companies wrote in a joint brief. “It does not relegate them to hoping for a jury in a different suit that may never materialize.”
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