Sprint hit with largest-ever 'Do Not Call' fine
Posted: May 19, 2014 5:56 PM CDT | Updated: Nov 5, 2014 2:35 PM CDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- When it comes to \"Do Not Call\" requests, Sprint apparently hasn't gotten the message.
The Federal Communications Commission announced Monday that the wireless carrier will pay a $7.5 million fine for failing to honor requests from consumers to opt out of phone and text-message marketing campaigns. As part of the settlement, Sprint has to set up a compliance program and provide regular reports to regulators for the next two years.
The fine comes after Sprint reached a similar settlement over \"Do Not Call\" violations with regulators back in 2011, paying a $400,000 fine.
\"When a consumer tells a company to stop calling or texting with promotional pitches, that request must be honored,\" FCC enforcement chief Travis LeBlanc said in a statement.
Sprint said the settlement \"relates to issues resulting from technical and inadvertent human errors, which Sprint reported to the FCC.\"
\"We have conducted a thorough, top-to-bottom evaluation of our Do Not Call data management systems, and significant capital investments have been made to improve our Do Not Call/SMS Message architecture, oversight and compliance,\" the company said.
The fine is the largest ever from the FCC in a \"Do Not Call\" case, though it's safe to say Sprint's not sweating it -- the company brought in $8.9 billion in sales in the first three months of this year alone.
Americans can opt out of telemarketing communications thanks to a 2003 law that set up the national \"Do Not Call\" registry. You can sign up for the registry online at www.donotcall.gov.