Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On August 23, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had filed suit against DISH Network LLC (“DISH Network”) alleging violations of the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (“TSR”). The FTC’s complaint claims that DISH Network is a “seller” and “telemarketer” as such terms are defined by the TSR because the company sells satellite television programming to consumers and also markets its programming through a variety of methods, including telemarketing. According to the complaint, since September 2007, DISH Network has engaged in initiating millions of outbound telephone calls (directly and through authorized dealers) to phone numbers of individuals who have previously stated that they do not wish to be contacted by or on behalf of DISH Network. Accordingly, the FTC argued that DISH Network violated the TSR’s entity-specific Do-Not-Call Rule even if the affected individuals were not on the national Do Not Call list.

Read previous coverage of FTC settlements against telemarketing companies for violations of the TSR.