Supreme Court backs FCC fine system for AT&T, Verizon

Key facts

• Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of the FCC's fine system.
• The ruling involved wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon.
• The court found the FCC's in-house proceedings do not violate the right to a jury trial.
• Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion.
• Justice Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenter.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on June 4, upholding the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) system for imposing fines on wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon. The challenge argued that the FCC's in-house proceedings violated the companies' constitutional right to a jury trial. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, stated that the FCC's forfeiture orders do not definitively resolve legal obligations and that factual findings are not conclusive, thus not offending the Constitution. The Trump administration had defended the FCC's process. The FCC had previously fined AT&T $57 million and Verizon nearly $47 million for unlawfully selling customer location data without consent, totaling nearly $200 million in fines against multiple carriers. The ruling affirms the FCC's enforcement authority.