[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 23 (Monday, February 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 5290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1795]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[FCC 06-177]


Notice of Debarment

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Enforcement Bureau (Bureau) debars Premio, Inc. (Premio) 
from all activities associated with the schools and libraries universal 
service support mechanism, also known as the E-Rate program. Premio 
pled guilty to and was convicted of serious fraud-related felonies 
against the E-Rate program. We find Premio's conduct merits a debarment 
of at least three years, as contemplated by our debarment rule, but in 
light of several important factors, we will impose a debarment period 
of one year.

DATES: Debarment commences on the Premio, Inc. receives the debarment 
letter or whichever date comes first, for a period of one year.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diana Lee, Federal Communications 
Commission, Enforcement Bureau, Investigations and Hearings Division, 
Room 4-A265, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. Diana Lee may 
be contacted by phone at 202-418-1420 or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This a summary of the Commission's Notice of 
Debarment, released January 22, 2007. As an additional precaution to 
protect the E-Rate program, we put in place two monitoring measures to 
ensure Premio's compliance upon its re-entry into the E-Rate program, 
in the event that Premio re-enters the E-Rate program during its three 
year probation period. First, we order USAC to review with heightened 
scrutiny Premio's applications submitted during the first two funding 
years after re-entry.\1\ Second, we order the Administrator to conduct 
automatic annual audits regarding Premio's compliance with the Act and 
the Commission's rules governing the E-Rate program, for each of the 
first two funding periods upon Premio's re-entry. We find these 
additional precautionary measures are necessary to ensure that E-Rate 
funds are used only for their intended purpose and that the program is 
not subject to additional waste, fraud, or abuse. The full text of this 
Notice is available for inspection and copying during normal business 
hours in the FCC Reference Center, Room CY-A-257, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554. The complete text may also be purchased from the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. 
(BCP), Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 
20554. The complete item is also available on the Commission's Web site 
at http://www.fcc.gov/eb.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See Fifth Report and Order, 19 FCC Rcd at 15822-23, para. 
44. We note that the Commission currently is considering what 
particular requirements, if any, that it should apply in conducting 
heightened review of E-Rate program participants. See Universal 
Service Fund Oversight NPRM, 20 FCC Rcd at 11345, para. 91.

Federal Communications Commission.
Hillary S. DeNigro,
Chief, Investigations and Hearings Division, Enforcement Bureau.
[FR Doc. E7-1795 Filed 2-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P