FCC Consumer Bureau Finds Four Companies Violated 'Slamming' Rules

The FCC said four companies violated rules against “slamming” by engaging in unauthorized switching of consumers’ telecom service providers. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau issued five orders Friday (here, here, here, here, here) granting complaints against Birch Communications (subject of two orders), New Century Telecom, Opex Communications and TeleUno. The bureau said the companies “must remove all charges incurred for service provided to Complainants for the first thirty days" after the carrier changes. Any charges to subscribers imposed by the companies after this 30-day period shall be paid by the subscribers to their authorized carriers at the rates they were paying before the service change, the bureau said. It said the commission could take further action, if warranted. None of the companies we could locate had immediate comment.