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   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

   February 27, 2015  Mark Wigfield, 202-418-0253

   E-mail: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov

      FCC PLANS $9 MILLION FINE AGAINST GPSPS, INC. FOR ILLEGALLY BILLING
                 CUSTOMERS AND SWITCHING THEIR PHONE COMPANIES

      Long Distance Carrier Allegedly Relied on Fabricated "Authorization"
           Recordings to Mislead the Commission and State Regulators

   Washington, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission plans to fine
   GPSPS, Inc., an Atlanta, GA telephone company, $9,065,000 for allegedly
   switching consumers' long distance telephone services without their
   authorization ("slamming"), billing customers for unauthorized charges
   ("cramming"), and submitting falsified evidence to government regulatory
   officials as "proof" that consumers had authorized the company to switch
   their long distance providers.

   "Consumers should not have to wrestle with multi-page phone bills loaded
   with bogus charges," said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau.
   "The FCC will hold companies accountable who prey on consumers by
   switching their telephone carriers and placing charges on their telephone
   bills without authorization."

   The Enforcement Bureau reviewed over 150 complaints against GPSPS that
   consumers filed with the Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the
   Public Utility Commission of Texas, and the Better Business Bureau.
   Consumers complained that GPSPS switched their long distance service
   provider without their authorization even though they had never heard of
   or spoken to the company before discovering GPSPS's charges on their
   telephone bills. In many cases, GPSPS refused to refund all of the
   unauthorized fees it allegedly charged consumers. Instead, the company
   apparently misrepresented to consumers that they or someone in their
   household had authorized GPSPS's service, and that GPSPS possessed an
   audio recording evidencing the authorization. The audio "verification"
   recordings GPSPS mentioned to consumers were fake. Although GPSPS
   submitted these fabricated recordings to the Commission and state
   regulatory authorities as "proof" that the consumers authorized its
   service, consumers who listened to the recordings informed the Enforcement
   Bureau that the recordings were fabricated and adamantly denied that the
   voices on the recordings were their own.

   The Commission charged GPSPS with willfully and repeatedly placing
   unauthorized charges on consumers' local telephone bills, switching
   consumers' preferred long distance carrier without verified authorization,
   and submitting fabricated audio "verification" recordings in an effort to
   mislead the Commission, all in apparent violation of the Communications
   Act and Commission rules.

   With today's action, the Commission has now taken nearly 30 enforcement
   actions for cramming or slamming in the past five years. These actions
   have announced more than $90 million in penalties, and are slated to
   return more than $200 million to consumers.

   For more information about the FCC's rules protecting consumers from
   unauthorized charges on phone bills, see the FCC consumer guide, Cramming
   - Unauthorized, Misleading, or Deceptive Charges Placed on Your Telephone
   Bill. For information about other communications issues, visit the FCC's
   Consumer website, or contact the FCC's Consumer Center by calling
   1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322)
   TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or by writing to:

                       Federal Communications Commission

                    Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

                   Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division

                              445 12th Street, SW

                              Washington, DC 20554

   The Notice of Apparent Liability is available at:
   https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-15-26A1.pdf

                                     -FCC-





   NEWS

   Federal Communications Commission

   445 12th 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).

                                        News Media Information 202 / 418-0500

                                                 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov