On July 23, 2004, the Federal Communications Commission negotiated the terms of a consent decree with Verizon Communications that ended an investigation into Verizon’s possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and FCC rules. The alleged violations at issue concerned Verizon’s compliance with certain structural, transactional, and nondiscrimination safeguards applicable to transactions between Verizon’s Bell Operating Companies and its other incumbent local exchange carriers, on the one hand, and Verizon’s separate long distance affiliates on the other. Verizon agreed to make a “voluntary contribution to the United States Treasury” of $300,000 as part of the consent decree.