JUDGE TRIPLES DISH NETWORK PAYMENT

raleigh, n.c.» A federal judge in North Carolina has tripled the award for more than 50,000 people on the Do Not Call Registry who were contacted by Dish Network, setting up a potential $60 million payout.

In January, a jury decided to give $400 to each of the people on the registry, but Judge Catherine C. Eagles ruled Monday that the award should be increased to $1,200 per person.

In her decision, Eagles said Dish and its agent, Satellite Systems Network, willfully and knowingly violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The judge called the decision “appropriate to deter Dish and to give suitable weight to the seriousness and scope of the violations Dish committed.”

In January, Dish said it was considering an appeal.