Satellite TV provider DirecTV has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and will pay a $5.3 million fine for violating the 'do not call' rules introduced by the FTC a few years ago. That represents the largest civil fine ever paid in a consumer protection enforcement case brought before the FTC.
FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras announced that the settlement 'demonstrates that the registry is a program consumers can continue to believe in. Sellers are on the hook for calls placed on their behalf and for their benefit,' she added. 'It is not named the Do Not Call Registry for nothing.'
DirecTV issued a statement after the agreement was reached saying, 'DirecTV wholly supports the national Do-Not-Call Registry and our agreement with the FTC reflects our commitment to prevent unwanted and unlawful telemarketing calls to existing and potential DirecTV customers.'
'The majority of the complaints the FTC received related to telemarketing calls placed by a small number of former independent retailers, who ignored DirecTV policies prohibiting unauthorized telemarketing,' the statement added.
The FTC received approximately 1.4 million complaints about DirecTV with regard to alleged violations of the Do-Not-Call Registry rules beginning in November 2003. The registry took effect one month earlier.
The FTC still receives between 2,000 and 3,000 calls per day complaining of violations of the registry. Most consumers have reported receiving fewer telemarketing calls since the Do-Not-Call Registry began.
