In February, David Kashem was falling apart from an unexpected repression of the government against his company, a startup, which helps its users call the Internet. The Federal Communication Committee has accused Telnyx of inadequately checking the customers who used his service to do SCAM Robocalls aimed at FCC itself.
Usually a technology director like Casem will pay or negotiate the proposed fine of nearly $ 4.5 million and its business put it under a microscope – a major threat to a small startup. But with President Trump, Came decided to fight.
The Trump administration is an unwavering anti -regulation, with the president even praising companies that have fought lawsuits brought by their regulators.
The change in the Washington attitude by President Biden has strengthened leaders such as Casem to do the same. It didn’t matter that Trump’s own FCC chairman Brandon Carr had observed the actions of the application against Telicks.
Thus, Casem hired lobbyists and political consultants – including the P2 Pathway public affairs, the influence that Elon Musk hired for his own political action committee, America PAC, to help the choice of Donald Trump. He then flew to the DC to gather support and find allies in Capitol.
Last week, Telnyx publicly responded to FCC and asked to cancel the proposed fine. In his response, Casem announced that Telnyx “was a victim of the type of unfair, a performance regulation that we were used to seeing in the Biden administration” and called the case “the kind of law that the president promised to stop.”
The company cites Trump’s two executive orders, one who called for transparency and removing the surprise in federal performance and another, calling for the elimination of non -constitutional provisions.
“Our hope is that this does it on the desk of President Carr and he sees that this is incompatible with the president’s agenda, this is contrary to his record and is ultimately canceled and we can move forward,” says Kazema, says Kaze, says Kazem, says Kame, says Kazem, “says Kazem,” FortuneS
A FCC spokesman declined to comment.
Some companies have already found success in repelling the regulators during the month and half since Trump took office. Most recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it would withdraw several court cases, which he had filed according to Biden against cryptocurrencies for work as an unregistered securities exchange or lack of appropriate investor protection. Most importantly, Walkback included an industrial giant Coinbase, which launched an extensive public campaign to challenge the allegations against her.
But although these companies may set a precedent, Telnyx lays the basis of a wave of what could come after: direct calls to President Trump and his program.
“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” Kevin Verbach, a professor of law at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, who had previously been an advisor to a new technology policy at FCC, tells before Fortune Telicks met last week for the Telnick boot. “But I expect it to become more common in the next four years,” he added.
Robot
The Battle of Telnyx with FCC stems from the fraud of Robocall by unknown persons who have directed employees at FCC, as well as by some of their family members. On February 6, 2024, the FCC said that more than a dozen of its staff and some of their family members – which Telnyx claimed to be included in President Carr, Commissioner Nathan Simington and former President Ajit Pai – were summoned for their personal and working numbers, receiving a pre -recorded voice. At least one of them was apparently asked to send $ 1,000 to Google Gift Cards to avoid prison for their “crimes against the state.”
In early February, a few weeks after Commissioner Carr was appointed chairman of Trump, FCC moved against Telnyx. The Commission sent a “obvious responsibility notice” or NAL, saying that – while she had not yet conducted a formal investigation – Telnyx “obviously failed to check the identity of its client, who put the robo on fraud” and offered nearly $ 4.5 million in fine.
Kazem said he was shocked by the action and was under the impression that FCC was investigating the robbers themselves, not his company. “We followed all their rules,” he said, adding, “We did what we would think about finding fraud in the best class on our part.”
None of the countries knows who designed Robocalls. The people behind the two accounts used fake names, domain emails based outside Edinburgh, Scotland and listed addresses in Toronto, which were related to the Sheraton Hotel.
Since last month, Telnyx has hired groups such as the S3 Group and Mercury to help contact and appeal to Trump, FCC and Management and Budget Office officers, according to Casem. He says Telnyx feels “relieved” because his arguments are in line with what Trump has exposed there.
“I think it is certainly more effective in this administration because what we say is entirely compatible with the president’s agenda,” Kazem says, adding, “So we would use this approach if there was a win in Harris? I mean, there would be no [executive orders]S Things would be a little more difficult. “
What remains to be seen is whether such an approach will work or simply break up the situation with President Carr and FCC. Surely – if Telnyx can successfully reduce the action – this will make a statement to other companies offered to regulators.
“If the FCC acts in favor of Telnyx, it would be irrational for other companies not to perceive the same approach,” says Verbach.
This story was originally presented on Fortune.com