Senator Chuck Grassley made the comment below about the release of documents today by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about its dealings with the firm, LightSquared.
Senator Grassley has been seeking information from the agency as part of his effort to understand why the agency has allowed the company to move forward with its plans for a terrestrial 4G network, despite serious concerns of interference with the GPS systems used widely in military, aviation and emergency response venues. The agency has refused to provide the public with insight into its approval process.
Months ago and subsequently, Senator Grassley asked the FCC to provide documents regarding its interactions with LightSquared and LightSquared's parent company, Harbinger Capital Partners. The FCC has refused to comply with Senator Grassley's request.
Earlier this month, Grassley announced that he would place a hold on Senate action on two FCC nominees when the nominations are placed on the calendar for floor consideration until the FCC provides information, saying the public's business ought to be public.
In October, Senator Grassley wrote separate letters to the top investor in and the chief executive of the company, seeking related information.
Grassley comment:
"This holiday week document dump and the fact that these documents are already publicly available is a continuation of the FCC's pattern of hiding any actual information regarding the LightSquared waiver. Whether it's posting a bunch of old-news documents the day before Thanksgiving, or telling 99.6 percent of elected members Congress that the agency doesn't have to be responsive to oversight, this is an agency with a very serious transparency problem. The FCC needs to stop playing games and make itself accountable to Congress, the media, and the American people."
