Comcast to Pay $2.3 Million to Settle FCC Billing Investigation

Joe Raedle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The Federal Communications Commission has announced a record $2.3 million settlement with Comcast after the company allegedly overcharged customers.

After investigating multiple complaints, the FCC said Comcast was charging customers for services and equipment that customers did not want and never ordered.

The FCC referred to the practice as “negative option billing,” and compared it to rules from the commission and the Communications Act that prohibit unauthorized charges on bills, called “cramming.”

The settlement was the largest ever ordered for a cable operator by the commission, according to the FCC.

Comcast said the complaints were the result of customers’ confusion and the company defended itself, saying the FCC found no wrongdoing on Comcast’s end.

“We have been working very hard on improving the experience of our customers in all respects and are laser-focused on this,” Comcast said in a statement to ABC News. “We acknowledge that, in the past, our customer service should have been better and our bills clearer, and that customers have at times been unnecessarily frustrated or confused.  That’s why we had already put in place many improvements to do better for our customers even before the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau started this investigation almost two years ago.”

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