The Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s attempt to secure a $47 million refund from the Federal Communications Commission.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Verizon’s petition to obtain a $47 million refund from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), effectively ending the carrier's hope of having a lower court review the fine. The penalty was originally issued because Verizon sold mobile users' real-time location data without their consent. While Verizon argued that the FCC's process did not allow for a jury trial, the court ruled 8-1 that the carriers could have obtained a jury trial by refusing to pay the fine and waiting for the government to collect. This ruling leaves Verizon's penalty intact, unlike AT&T and T-Mobile, which continue to challenge similar fines. Verizon expressed frustration that the court expressed no view on the merits of the fine itself, leaving it with no recourse to challenge the legality of the location data sales. Despite the legal setback, Verizon remains a major infrastructure provider with a market capitalization of $200.11 billion. Investors continue to monitor the company's 5.78% dividend yield and its moderate GF Score™ of 57, balancing its income stability against regulatory headwinds.