Tim Oren at Due Diligence presents his first Dubious Distinction Award of 2004 to fax.com:

"To get 2004 off to a good start, the first Dubious Distinction of the year, for continuing efforts in operating a business plan which is largely illegal, goes to fax.com. This is occasioned by the FCC levying a $5.4m fine against the company for repeated and flagrant violations of junk fax/do-not-fax regulations. Yes, before there were spammers, there was fax.com, and they are still at it, as I can attest. Pacifica's inbound fax is a known good number, and we get ads for fly-by-night insurance and refis, with the characteristic fax.com footer format. After a few, one of us gets annoyed enough to call the remove number, and they stop for a while - and then start again. This has happened enough times that it has clearly moved from incompetence to 'enemy action'. At $11,000 a pop - the fine levied by the FCC for flagrant violations - each of these could be a significant step toward bankrupting these bozos, so maybe I'll start saving them...

Update: Sounds like the fax.com clowns need a RICO investigation more than fines which they ignore."