FILE - n this photo illustration a Dish Network Corporation logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen and in the background. (Photo Illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
DISH Network has agreed to pay over $17 million after it allegedly fraudulently claimed federal funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dig deeper:
DISH signed up ineligible applicants to receive money from the federal government through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefits Program (EBBP) and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the Department of Justice claimed.
Between May 2021 and February 2022, DISH allegedly enrolled more than 130,000 subscribers into EBBP and ACP.
By the numbers:
DISH received up to $50 per subscriber through EBBP and $30 per month under ACP, the department said.
What they're saying:
"DISH continued seeking FCC program funds for months after its executives learned about its agents’ enrollment fraud and after an FCC OIG advisory warning. FCC OIG is committed to holding accountable bad actors who misuse taxpayers funds," the DOJ said.
What are the EBBP and ACP programs?
The backstory:
The EBBP was created in 2021 and provided $3.2 billion to assist low-income families with discounted broadband services and devices.
The ACP program followed with an additional $14 billion for the same types of discounted services between 2022 and 2024, the DOJ said.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from a news release from the U.S. Justice Department website. This story was reported from San Jose.