Sorenson To Pay $15.75 Million To Settle Investigation Into Improper Billing Of TRS Fund

Sorenson Communications, an Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) provider, has agreed to pay $15.75 million to settle an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau into whether the company billed the TRS Fund for calls made by unregistered, unverified, or ineligible individuals, and for calls that were made by or on behalf of the provider itself.

FCC registration and verification requirements are designed to protect the integrity and of the TRS Fund, which compensates TRS providers for reasonable costs of providing interstate TRS calls involving persons with disabilities, and is funded from a fee paid for by subscribers of interstate telecommunications services. As part of the settlement, Sorenson must implement a robust compliance plan, requiring detailed operating procedures, comprehensive training of its employees, and immediate reporting of possible violations. Of the $15.75 million, just over $4.2 million will be reimbursed to the TRS Fund, and the remaining approximately $11.5 million will be paid to the U.S. Treasury as a voluntary contribution. TRS enables an individual who is deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or who has a speech disability, to engage in telephone communications with one or more individuals.