New York AG fines companies that spammed FCC with fake anti-net neutrality comments (www.engadget.com)

Several of the companies involved in the astroturfing (that is, fake grassroots) campaign had been involved in other attempts to influence regulators and politicians.

LCX and principals will pay 400,000 to New York and 100,000 to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.

This is the second batch of agreements New York has secured with companies sending fake comments to the FCC.

The fines come after a 2021 Attorney General report that found over 18 million of the 22 million comments on the net neutrality repeal were fake.

Attorney General Letitia James has obtained a total 615,000 from lead generating firms Ifficient, LCX and Lead ID for providing millions of fake comments in an attempt to skew the FCC’s 2017 proceedings.

The broadband industry allegedly asked the trio to attract antineutrality input through ads and giveaways, but they instead manufactured fraudulent comments using real identities without permission.

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