Supreme Court Reviews F.C.C.’s Enforcement Power Against Communications Companies

AT&T and Verizon were penalized millions of dollars for what the agency said was a failure to protect consumer information. The companies say they were deprived of their right to a jury trial.


Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In the case before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Trump administration is defending the agency’s use of fines, calling them one of the “most important and frequently used enforcement tools.” Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times

By Ann E. Marimow
Reporting from Washington

April 21, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET

The federal agency responsible for policing the nation’s airwaves and telecommunications companies relies on hefty fines to enforce rules designed to protect consumer privacy, combat robocalls and regulate broadcasting.

In recent years that agency, the Federal Communications Commission, has imposed millions of dollars in penalties against two major cellphone carriers, Verizon and AT&T, to punish the companies for what it says is their failure to protect customer data.

The companies contend that those fines have violated their rights because they were assessed without the companies facing a trial in front of a jury. They sued, in a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The case is a challenge to the power of administrative agencies, long a target of the conservative legal moment. It comes two years after the court rejected the Securities and Exchange Commission’s use of in-house tribunals without juries to enforce rules against securities fraud and impose penalties on the financial industry.

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Ann E. Marimow covers the Supreme Court for The Times from Washington.