JACKSON - Telemarketing companies that are facing huge fines for violating Mississippi's no-call law appear eager to negotiate settlements to avoid a formal hearing.
The five telemarketers that the Public Service Commission has filed complaints against since the no-call law took effect Oct. 1 asked for an extension until Dec. 15 to file a reply.
The commission granted the extension, said Steve King, director of Mississippi's no-call program.
The companies - four debt consolidators and a telemarketer that sells septic tank cleaners - are facing a total of $1.5 million in fines for multiple violations of the no-call provisions.
A sixth telemarketer that the commission had been on the verge of filing a complaint against, satellite television provider DirecTV, is trying to negotiate a settlement of $500,000 in potential fines.
Once a complaint is filed, a company has 30 days to respond before the commission holds a formal hearing, at which time fines of up to $5,000 per violation could be levied.
"In discussing this with other states, the impression I have gotten is that most companies are eager to resolve the legal issues in negotiations rather than go to a full hearing," Public Service Commissioner Nielsen Cochran said. "And once a company is documented in violation and presented with a formal complaint, they would be better served financially to try to settle rather than litigate."
The Public Service Commission is close to filing complaints against three other telemarketers and is investigating multiple complaints against seven others, King said.
The commission has received more than 1,200 consumer complaints since the no-call law took effect, King said.
Companies that are the subject of only a few complaints will be contacted by the commission and given a chance to comply with the law rather than face complaint charges, King said.
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