TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Acts Against 5 Carriers in ‘Slamming’ Crackdown: The Federal Communications Commission cited MCI Communications Corp., AT&T; Corp. and three smaller companies, alleging that they switched long-distance service without customers’ knowledge, a practice known as slamming. The companies can respond to the complaints or pay fines of $40,000 to $80,000. “Unauthorized switching of customers is something we take very, very seriously,” MCI spokesman Robert Stewart said. “We’re just absolutely doing everything we can to ensure this doesn’t happen.” MCI was cited in two customer complaints, as were Home Owners Long Distance Inc. in San Antonio and Nationwide Long Distance Inc. in Houston. AT&T; and Target Telecom Inc. in Wayne, N.J., were cited by one customer each. AT&T; said it would investigate the charges.