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                                   Before the

                       Federal Communications Commission

                             Washington, D.C. 20554


                                      )                                     
                                                                            
                                      )                                     
                                          File No.: EB-07-TC-1947           
     In the Matter of                 )                                     
                                          NAL/Acct. Nos.: 200832170076 and  
     American Medical Services        )                                     
                                          200932170015                      
     f/k/a American Health Services   )                                     
                                          FRN: 0018140012                   
                                      )                                     
                                                                            
                                      )                                     


                                FORFEITURE ORDER

   Adopted: October 27, 2011 Released: October 27, 2011

   By the Chief, Enforcement Bureau:

   I. introduction

    1. In this Forfeiture Order ("Order"), we issue a monetary forfeiture in
       the amount of $9,000 against American Medical Services ("AMS") for
       willful and repeated violations of section 227(b)(1)(C) of the
       Communications Act of 1934, as amended ("Act"), and section
       64.1200(a)(3) of the Commission's rules, by delivering two unsolicited
       advertisements, or "junk faxes," to the telephone facsimile machines
       of two consumers.

   II. background

    2. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 was enacted by Congress
       to address problems of abusive telemarketing, including junk faxes.
       Unsolicited faxes often impose unwanted burdens on the called party,
       including costs of paper and ink, and making fax machines unavailable
       for legitimate business messages. Section 227(b)(1)(C) of the Act
       makes it "unlawful for any person within the United States, or any
       person outside the United States if the recipient is within the United
       States . . . to use any telephone facsimile machine, computer, or
       other device to send, to a telephone facsimile machine, an unsolicited
       advertisement." The prohibition, however, does not apply if certain
       conditions are satisfied, such as when the sender has an "established
       business relationship" with the recipient. 

    3. Pursuant to section 503(b)(5) of the Act,  the Enforcement Bureau
       ("Bureau") issued a junk fax citation to AMS on June 26, 2007, in
       response to two consumer complaints alleging that AMS had faxed
       unsolicited advertisements. AMS responded by stating that "American
       Health Services" was no longer in business and was "very sorry for any
       troubles this has caused both parties."

    4. Thereafter, the Commission received additional complaints from
       consumers alleging that AMS had faxed unsolicited advertisements.
       These violations, which occurred after the date of the citation,
       resulted in the Bureau issuing two Notices of Apparent Liability for
       Forfeiture ("NALs") against AMS.

    5. The Bureau issued the first NAL in September 2008, and proposed a
       forfeiture of $4,500. Thereafter, the Bureau sent both the complaint
       referenced in the NAL, as well as a second complaint, to AMS.

    6. In response to these complaints, AMS claimed that it had
       "correspondence from persons at the companies who have complained but
       more than likely not from the person who filed the complaint." AMS
       went on to explain that it "would develop sales leads from our
       website, print advertising or from various Internet companies for
       people who were shopping for [a] healthcare or discount plan." With
       respect to the complaint referenced in the first NAL in particular,
       from S. Hardy at All American Quality Foods, AMS claimed its contact
       was an owner of that company, and provided contact information for
       that person. Concerning the second complaint, from D. Morris, AMS
       claimed that the complainant's husband, T. Morris, was its contact,
       and again provided information for T. Morris.

    7. The Bureau issued the second NAL in 2009, based on D. Morris's
       complaint, and stated that AMS's knowledge of T. Morris's contact
       information "does not demonstrate that T. Morris actually engaged in
       any inquiry, application, purchase or transaction with AMS." The
       Bureau thus concluded that AMS had not met its burden of demonstrating
       the existence of an established business relationship and found AMS
       apparently liable for a second forfeiture in the amount of $4,500.

    8. AMS responded to the second NAL and requested cancellation of the
       proposed forfeiture. In support, AMS provided: (1) an affidavit
       claiming a prior relationship with the Morris family and the business
       "Realkids.com;" (2) Texas corporate records with information about the
       Morris company; (3) "lead information" relating to T. Morris; and (4)
       contact information for T. Morris and another person allegedly
       associated with the Morris family or the business Real Kids.

   III. discussion

    9. We now assess the $9,000 penalties proposed in the two NALs. In doing
       so, we find that AMS has not adequately shown that it did, in fact,
       have an "established business relationship" with the complainants, or
       that it obtained their fax numbers permissibly under the Commission's
       rules.

   10. Under the Commission's rules, a person may not fax an unsolicited ad
       unless the sender and the recipient have an "established business
       relationship" ("EBR") and certain other conditions are satisfied. An
       EBR is defined as:

   a prior or existing relationship formed by a voluntary two-way
   communication between a person or entity and a business or residential
   subscriber with or without an exchange of consideration, on the basis of
   an inquiry, application, purchase or transaction by the business or
   residential subscriber regarding products or services offered by such
   person or entity, which relationship has not been previously terminated by
   either party.

   A fax may be sent to a person with whom the sender has an EBR only if the
   sender obtained the recipient's fax number through "voluntary
   communication of such number by the recipient directly to the sender,
   within the context of such established business relationship" or through a
   "directory, advertisement, or site on the Internet to which the recipient
   agreed to make available its facsimile number for public distribution." 
   The Commission has made clear that the entity sending an unsolicited fax
   ad is responsible for demonstrating the existence of the established
   business relationship, for example, through relevant business records such
   as purchase agreements and application records. Thus, AMS bears the burden
   of demonstrating a voluntary two-way communication on the basis of an
   inquiry, application, purchase, or transaction.

   11. AMS has not satisfied its burden of proof. As we pointed out in the
       second NAL, the fact that AMS has contact information for someone at a
       company to which it sent a fax advertisement is insufficient to show
       that it formed a relationship with the company through a voluntary
       two-way communication, on the basis of an inquiry or transaction.
       Indeed, contact information is little more than that necessary for AMS
       to fax an unsolicited ad in the first place. Simple "lead information"
       pertaining to an individual likewise does not demonstrate an EBR
       between AMS and that individual, as AMS could have acquired this
       information through means other than an EBR, such as from another
       company that provides sales leads. An affidavit attesting to a
       relationship of some unspecified type between AMS and a company or
       individual similarly fails to establish that AMS had an EBR with that
       company or individual. Again, it is AMS's burden to show that it
       formed a relationship with the complainants through a voluntary
       communication on the basis of an inquiry or transaction, and that it
       obtained and used the fax numbers at issue in the context of that
       relationship or through another permissible means. Business records
       evidencing such a relationship - again, for example, applications or
       purchase agreements - might meet the burden - but AMS did not provide
       any such records.

   12. Thus, AMS has failed to identify any facts or circumstances to
       persuade us that there is a basis for modifying the forfeitures
       proposed in the NALs, and we are not aware of any further mitigating
       circumstances sufficient to warrant a reduction of the forfeiture
       penalty. For these reasons, and based on the information before us, we
       hereby impose a total forfeiture of $9,000 for AMS's willful and
       repeated violation of section 227(b)(1)(C) of the Act, and section
       64.1200(a)(3) of the Commission's rules, as set forth in the NALs and
       herein.

   IV. ordering clauses

   13. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to section 503(b) of the
       Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. S: 503(b), and
       section 1.80(f)(4) of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. S: 1.80(f)(4),
       and under the authority delegated by sections 0.111 and 0.311 of the
       Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. S:S: 0.111, 0.311, that American Medical
       Services IS LIABLE FOR A MONETARY FORFEITURE to the United States
       Government in the sum of $9,000 for willfully and repeatedly violating
       section 227(b)(1)(C) of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. S:
       227(b)(1)(C), and section 64.1200(a)(3) of the Commission's rules, 47
       C.F.R. S: 64.1200(a)(3).

   14. Payment of the forfeiture shall be made in the manner provided for in
       section 1.80 of the Commission's rules within thirty (30) days of the
       release of this Order. If the forfeiture is not paid within the period
       specified, the case may be referred to the Department of Justice for
       enforcement pursuant to section 504(a) of the Act. Payment of the
       forfeiture must be made by check or similar instrument, payable to the
       order of the Federal Communications Commission. The payment must
       include the NAL/Account Number and FRN referenced above. Payment by
       check or money order may be mailed to Federal Communications
       Commission, P.O. Box 979088, St. Louis, MO 63197-9000. Payment by
       overnight mail may be sent to U.S. Bank - Government Lockbox #979088,
       SL-MO-C2-GL, 1005 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63101. Payment by
       wire transfer may be made to ABA Number 021030004, receiving bank
       TREAS/NYC, and account number 27000001. For payment by credit card, an
       FCC Form 159 (Remittance Advice) must be submitted.  When completing
       the FCC Form 159, enter the NAL/Account number in block number 23A
       (call sign/other ID), and enter the letters "FORF" in block number 24A
       (payment type code). American Medical Services shall also send
       electronic notification on the date said payment is made to
       Johnny.Drake@fcc.gov. Requests for full payment under an installment
       plan should be sent to: Chief Financial Officer - Financial
       Operations, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 1-A625, Washington, D.C. 
       20554.   Please contact the Financial Operations Group Help Desk at
       1-877-480-3201 or Email: ARINQUIRIES@fcc.gov with any questions
       regarding payment procedures.

   15. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of the Forfeiture Order shall be
   sent by First Class mail and certified mail return receipt requested to
   American Medical Services, Attention: Mr. Nick Braia, Owner, 2471 McMullen
   Booth Road, Suite 301, Clearwater, FL 33759-1351.

   FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

   P. Michele Ellison

   Chief, Enforcement Bureau

   47 U.S.C. S: 227(b)(1)(C).

   47 C.F.R. S: 64.1200(a)(3).

   Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, Pub. L. No. 102-243, 105 Stat.
   2394, codified as amended at 47 U.S.C. S: 227 (2009). See also Junk Fax
   Prevention Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-21, 119 Stat. 359 (2005).

   47 U.S.C. S: 227(b)(1)(C).

   Id. For a definition of "established business relationship" and a
   discussion of the exception, see infra para. 10.

   47 U.S.C. S: 503(b)(5) (requiring the Commission to issue a citation for a
   violation to a person who does not hold a license, permit, certificate or
   other authorization issued by the Commission, who is not an applicant for
   any such instrumentality, and who is not engaged in any activities for
   which such instrumentality is necessary, before imposing a forfeiture for
   a violation against such a person).

   Citation from Kurt A. Schroeder, Deputy Chief, Telecommunications
   Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, File No. EB-07-TC-1947, to AMS
   (June 26, 2007).

   Letter from Nick Braia, AMS, File No. EB-07-TC-1947, to Kurt Schroeder,
   Deputy Chief, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau at
   1 (dated July 17, 2007). American Health Services is the name previously
   used by AMS.

   American Medical Services, Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, 23
   FCC Rcd 13853  (2008) ("NAL 1"); American Medical Services, Notice of
   Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, 24 FCC Rcd 1276  (2009) ("NAL 2")
   (collectively NALs).

   NAL 1, 23 FCC Rcd 13853.

   Letter from Nick Braia, AMS, File No. EB-07-TC-1947, to Office of the
   Secretary at 1 (dated October 20, 2008).

   Id.

   Id., Exhibit A.

   Id., Exhibit B.

   NAL 2, 24 FCC Rcd at 1279 para. 6.

   Letter from Nick Braia, AMS, File No. EB-07-TC-1947, to Office of the
   Secretary (dated March 19, 2009).

   Id. at 3-8. The lead information was contact information, plus certain
   additional personal information.

   47 C.F.R. S: 64.1200(f)(5). See also 47 U.S.C. S: 227(a)(2).

   47 C.F.R. S: 64.1200(a)(3). In addition, for a person to fax an
   unsolicited ad under the Commission's rules, the ad must notify the
   recipient how to opt out of receiving future such ads, and do so in
   compliance with certain requirements.

   Rules and Regulations Implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection act
   of 1991, Junk Fax Prevention Act, Report and Order and Third Order on
   Reconsideration, CG Docket Nos. 02-278, 05-338, 21 FCC Rcd 3787, 3793-94
   para. 12 (2006) (Junk Fax Prevention Act R&O).

   See Junk Fax Prevention Act R&O, 21 FCC Rcd at 3796 para. 15 ( "senders of
   facsimile advertisements must have an EBR with the recipient in order to
   send the advertisements to the recipient's facsimile number. The fact that
   the facsimile number was made available in a directory, advertisement or
   website does not alone entitle a person to send a facsimile advertisement
   to that number.").

   It is unclear how the other documents and information that AMS provided -
   i.e., public records about one of the companies associated with a
   complaint, and the fact that one of the complainants frequently uses the
   Internet - are in any way relevant to whether AMS had an EBR with either
   of the companies involved in the complaints.

   47 U.S.C. S: 504(a).

   (...continued from previous page)

                                                              (continued....)

                                 Federal Communications Commission DA 11-1777

                                       2

                                 Federal Communications Commission DA 11-1777