FTC Fines DirecTV

NEW YORK Satellite television provider DirecTV has been hit with a $5.3 million fine by the Federal Trade Commission for violating the FTC’s “Do Not Call” telemarketing regulations. This is the largest civil penalty the FTC has ever disclosed in a case enforcing any consumer protection law.

The complaint names as defendants DirecTV, five firms that telemarketed on its behalf, and six principals of those telemarketing firms.

“This multimillion dollar penalty drives home a simple point: Sellers are on the hook for calls placed on their behalf,” said FTC chair Deborah Platt Majoras, in a statement.