§208 Complaints to Commission; Investigations; Duration of Investigation; Appeal of Order Concluding Investigation

Summary

Any person, a state or local government, or a government agency can file a short written complaint with the Commission about something a common carrier did or failed to do that breaks the law. The Commission sends the complaint to the carrier, and the carrier must fix the problem or answer in writing within a reasonable time set by the Commission. If the carrier fixes the problem in time, it is only cleared for that one violation. If the carrier does not fix it, or if there is reason to look into it, the Commission must investigate. A complaint cannot be thrown out just because the complainant had no direct financial harm. For investigations about rates, rules, or practices, the Commission must issue a final order ending the investigation within 5 months after the complaint is filed, except for investigations started before November 3, 1988, which had to be finished by 12 months after that date. Those final orders can be appealed under the law’s appeal rules.