Planet Earth Satellite Inc. and Star Satellite LLC have agreed to pay a combined $95,000 in penalties in a settlement order struck with the Federal Trade Commission. Both companies were found to have violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
According to the FTC, Planet Earth Satellite, which had conducted telemarketing campaigns on behalf of EchoStar Satellite LLC, made outbound telemarketing calls offering Dish Network satellite television programming to telephone numbers on the federal do-not-call list.
Similarly, Star Satellite marketed Dish Network offerings through telemarketing. Star Satellite violated the Telephone Sales Rule by not connecting call recipients to a live operator within 2 seconds of the recipients having picked up the phone.
The initial judgment against Planet Earth (also known as Teichert Marketing) and company officer Thomas Teichert called for $7 million in civil penalties. This was suspended in lieu of a $20,000 fee due to the defendants’ inability to pay the full amount.
Star Satellite (also known as Tenaya Marketing); co-defendant company officer Walter Eric Myers and relief defendants The Myers Irrevocable Trust; Cindy Myers and Zachary T. Ball (trustees) and Katie Myers and Mallory Myers were fined $4.37 million, which was reduced to $75,000 based on their demonstrated inability to pay the entire sum.
EchoStar was not a party to either FTC investigation.
