Camarillo Travel Agency Faces Fine Over Faxed Ads

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a $85,500 fine against a Camarillo travel agency, Get-Aways Inc., for allegedly faxing unsolicited advertisements to consumers, its first such enforcement action.

The agency had warned the company in July that it was violating a 1991 law prohibiting such fax advertisements. Since that warning, the FCC said that Get-Aways has sent 19 unsolicited fax advertisements to eight consumers offering vacation packages.

The action is the FCC’s first proposed fine against a company for alleged unsolicited fax advertisements. The agency is stepping up efforts to enforce laws and regulations, and in October it created a separate Enforcement Bureau to handle such issues.

In the past year, the FCC received about 1,200 letters from consumers related to unsolicited faxes. It issued citations to about 20 companies since July warning that their fax advertisements violated the law.

Get-Aways has 30 days either to pay the fine or show why the penalty should be reduced or eliminated.