Dish Wireless, Department of Justice Settle ACP, EBB Fraud Case

EchoStar subsidiary Dish Wireless agreed to pay $17,280,240 to settle government allegations that it fraudulently took money from federal programs designed to help low-income people get broadband services. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Dish enrolled thousands of ineligible subscribers into the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefits Program and its successor, the Affordable Connectivity Program, in 2021 and 2022. The DoJ also claimed that Dish executives continued seeking FCC program funds even after they were informed about agents’ alleged enrollment fraud and after an FCC Office of Inspector General advisory warning.