FCC Proposes Almost $4.5 Million Fine for Illegal Robocall Scheme
Republican Simington continues to vote against fines.
Blake Ledbetter
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission, in the first Commission-level action under new Chairman Brendan Carr, Tuesday proposed a significant fine for a set of scam robocalls.
The nearly $4.5 million fine was applied to Telnyx LCC, which reportedly made illegal government imposter robocalls.
Beginning the night of Feb. 6, 2024, and continuing into Feb. 7, several FCC staff and their family members reported receiving calls from an unknown number. The automated call stated that the FCC’s Fraud Prevention team would like to speak to them, a group that does not exist within the FCC. One recipient said that the caller requested them to pay the FCC $1,000 in Google gift cards to avoid jail time for their crimes against the state.
“Cracking down on illegal robocalls will be a top priority at the FCC,” Carr said in a statement Tuesday. “This fine flows from an apparently illegal robocall scheme and continues the FCC’s longstanding work to stop bad actors.”
Telnyx apparently violated the agency’s ‘Know Your Customer’ requirements, which require providers to know their customers and exercise due diligence before allowing them to originate calls. The FCC said Telnyx failed to identify the identity of its customer that was placing the calls, which is in direct violation of the rule.
The FCC described the fine as a bipartisan vote. However, it was not a unanimous decision. FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, a Republican like Carr, voted against the fine. He said the fine clashed with the Supreme Court’s ruling in S.E.C. v Jarksey that defendants hit with fines have a 7th Amendment right to a jury trial.
“I continue to believe that the Supreme Court’s decision in Jarksey prevents me from voting, at this time, to approve this or any item purporting to impose a fine,” Simington said.
The fine was still approved in a 3-1 vote, with Chairman Carr voting with Democratic Commissioners Goeffrey Starks and Anna Gomez.
The allegations and proposed fine are not final Commission actions. Before imposing anything, Telnyx will be able to respond to the proposal and the FCC will consider its arguments and evidence before resolving the matter.
