The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Briefing.
FCC IRS Phone Scam
The FCC and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) jointly warned consumers of an IRS impersonation phone scam, said they are working together to find such scammers, and that any scammers may be prosecuted and subject to civil penalties. The scam starts with an automated or live call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent or employee of the Treasury Department, often with a spoofed telephone number that may appear as IRS. The caller will claim that the victim owes the IRS taxes, which must be paid immediately or else the victim will be arrested or sued. The Advisory states that any call purportedly from the IRS demanding payment using gift cards, prepaid cards, or wire transfers is fraudulent. The IRS generally first contacts people by mail—not by phone—about unpaid taxes and never asks for payment in these forms or requests personal or financial information by e-mail, text, or any social media. Consumers are advised to file a complaint with TIGTA, the FCC. The Advisory reviews the penalties that each agency may assess, including jail time for falsely impersonating and IRS employee.
FCC Connect America Fund
The FCC has reminded recipients of CAF Phase I support that they must complete deployment of broadband-capable infrastructure to all required locations and be offering service meeting the FCC’s requirements for Phase I within three years. The relevant date varies by carrier because the date of acceptance Round Two funding varied by carrier. Certification that a carrier has fulfilled its Phase I obligations is due with the annual report following the three-year deadline. Each recipient of Phase I Round Two support must certify by July 3, 2017 that it completed deployment to all required locations and was offering service by the relevant three-year deadline. USAC will be verifying for each company that service was offered as of that deadline. Recipients should be prepared to produce documentation upon request during the verification process. Carriers that file to meet the obligations will be required to return the support, among other potential penalties.
Read about Connect America Fund rules in Amy Gross' Blog from 5/26/16 FCC's Connect America Funding Rules: Expanding Rural Broadband.
The Regulatory Mix will be on hiatus from
Thursday, December 22, 2016, through Monday, January 2, 2017.
Happy Holidays!
