《Before the》.pdfVIP

Federal Communications Commission DA 15-339 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC 20554 In the Matter of ) File No.: EB-SED-14-000162101 ) The Hinton Telephone Company ) NAL/Acct. No.: 201432100027 of Hinton, Oklahoma, Inc., ) d/b/a Hinton Telephone Company ) FRN: 0004365334 FORFEITURE ORDER Adopted: March 18, 2015 Released: March 18, 2015 By the Chief, Enforcement Bureau: I. INTRODUCTION 1. We impose a penalty of $ 100,000 against Hinton Telephone Company of Hinton, Oklahoma, Inc. (Hinton) for failing to use reasonable judgment when it knowingly routed 911 calls to an automated operator message—a message that instructed callers to “hang up and dial 911” to report an emergency. This violation of the Commission’s 911 rules continued for three months after Hinton learned of the problem, creating a significant threat to the life and property of Caddo County, Oklahoma, residents. Despite knowing of this ongoing risk to public safety, Hinton did nothing to resolve the problem and returned its system to functionality only after being directed to do so by FCC investigators. Such behavior is manifestly unacceptable and undermines the public’s ability to make one of the most important calls they ever have to make—calls to first responders in times of critical need. 2. In response to the Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (N