Ethics Newsline®

WASHINGTON
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week proposed more than $2 million in fines against Denver-based Qwest Communications International Inc. for allegedly switching 30 people’s long-distance phone services without their authorization.

The process, known as “slamming,” is the chief source of written and phoned complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which proposed last week’s fine against Qwest.

Over the past year, the FCC received 2,548 slamming complaints against Qwest and LCI International Telecom Corp., acquired by Qwest earlier this year, the Reuters news agency reported.

FCC investigators charged that Qwest falsified or forged documents in at least 22 cases. In one case, the FCC said, Qwest switched phone services based on a “signed authorization” from a customer’s dead dog. The customer had listed the phone in his dog’s name — Boris — for privacy reasons.

Qwest, which issued a statement promising to take “immediate action” to fix any complaints and punish those responsible, has 30 days to appeal or pay the fine, according to the Associated Press.