The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has demanded a million-dollar repayment by two U.S. wireless providers for overpayments received through pandemic-era business reimbursement programs. The FCC’s Brendan Carr (pictured May 2025 in Washington, D.C.) said, “FCC programs are not here to line the pockets of unscrupulous providers.” File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has demanded a million-dollar repayment by two U.S. wireless providers for overpayments received through pandemic-era business reimbursement programs set in place by the federal government.
On Tuesday, the FCC said U.S. taxpayers deserved to see about $1.18 million in reimbursements repaid by Boomerang Wireless and Assist Wireless for alleged overpayments in past claims issued by company officials related to work to connect more Americans to wireless Internet as the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped society in an unprecedented demand for government-run WiFI connectivity programs during the first Trump administration.
“FCC programs are not here to line the pockets of unscrupulous providers,” said FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
Headquartered in Texas, Assist and Iowa-based Boomerang, which operated as enTouch Wireless, sough taxpayer-funded reimbursement as much as $100 per tablet for customers on tech devices that, according to federal officials, were “widely available for half that price” part of the since-ended Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and Affordable Connectivity Program.
The FCC said between May 2021 and August 2023 the two wireless managers submitted $100 claims and received payment for more than 7,000 and 6,000 tablets, respectively.
It was noted by the FCC how during that time Amazon Fire 7 tablets were running at $50 or less in price.
According to the FCC, Boomerang and Assist revised their market value assessments only after a federal integrity review. They added that despite that its reassessed $69.99 claim was “still above actual market value,” adding the the two continued to submit “thousands” of additional claims.
Boomerang was ordered to repay $131,000 in ACP and more than $513,600 in repayments from the EBB program for a total of $644,635.
Assist also allegedly took advantage of both federal programs and owes more than $537,900 between the two ACP and EBB federal WiFi programs during COVID.
Carr said in a statement the long-gone government programs served an “important role” during the national health crisis, but added “yet some companies saw them as a target for overbilling and padded their reimbursement requests.”
FCC officials added that Boomerang and Assist have 30 days to repay the U.S. Treasury its full amount of overpaid WiFi reimbursements.
