FCC Fraud Suit Involves US Funds, Whistleblower Tells High Court

A whistleblower urged the US Supreme Court not to reconsider an appeals court decision allowing a False Claims Act suit against AT&T subsidiary Wisconsin Bell Inc. to proceed.

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reinstated whistleblower Todd Heath’s claims that Wisconsin Bell defrauded the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program by submitting claims for subsidies, while falsely certifying compliance with a “lowest corresponding price” rule. The rule is violated if a provider charges E-rate customers a higher rate than it charged similarly situated customers for similar services.

Wisconsin Bell’s petition to the Supreme Court said the point of ...