FCC Proposes Fine for Faxed Ads

The Federal Communications Commission proposed an $85,500 fine against a Camarillo-based travel agency, Get-Aways Inc., for illegally faxing advertisements to consumers. The action is the FCC’s first proposed fine against a company for unsolicited fax advertisements. The agency had warned the company in July that it was violating a 1991 law prohibiting such unsolicited fax advertisements. Since that warning, the FCC found that Get-Aways had sent eight consumers 19 unsolicited fax advertisements offering vacation packages. In the last year the FCC has received about 1,200 letters from consumers related to unsolicited faxes. It issued citations to about 20 companies since July warning that their fax ads violated the law. Get-Aways has 30 days to pay the fine or show why the penalty should be reduced or eliminated. Company officials weren’t available for comment.