The US Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Dish Network, claiming the company has violated telemarketing regulations by contacting consumers who submitted their names to the National Do Not Call Registry. According to Reuters , the violations date back to 2007, and number in the millions.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz is understandably troubled by the news. “It is particularly disappointing when a well-established, nationally known company — which ought to know better — appears to have flagrantly and illegally made millions of invasive calls to Americans who specifically told DISH Network to leave them alone,” he said in a statement.
In its own statement to the media, Dish Network stated that it will “vigorously” defend itself against the FTC’s allegations. In order to prove they’ve done nothing wrong, the company claims that a “third-party industry expert” will verify that their marketing practices are on the level.
According to The Associated Press , the FTC lawsuit is the direct result of yet another case pending against the company. The Justice Department is already suing Dish Network over contacting people on the National Do Not Call Registry. Information obtained from that investigation ultimately fueled the one recently filed by the Federal Trade Commission.
Yahoo! Finance reports that, if Dish Network is found guilty of the charges, they will be forced to pay between $11,000 to $16,000 per call. Considering they stand accused of contacting millions of people, this could become quite costly in the long run.
Dish Network isn’t the first company of its kind to run into trouble with the FTC. In 2005, DirecTV found themselves facing charges of violating the National Do Not Call Registry. The company ultimately decided to settle the suit, forking over nearly $5.3 million in the process.
Should Dish Network be punished by the Federal Trade Commission for violating the “do not call” list?
