Poster Child for Crony Capitalism
Posted on 10/22/2011 1:53:44 AM PDT by Watchdog85
Wireless company LightSquared has refused a request from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to release its communications with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission.
Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, requested the documents earlier this month to probe whether the company benefited from improper influence in its effort to secure regulatory approval. LightSquared told Grassley it would "respectfully decline" his request in a letter Wednesday night.
LightSquared plans to launch a wholesale wireless broadband service, but tests earlier this year revealed its network interferes with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. The company is currently undergoing a new round of testing to determine if technical modifications have addressed the interference problem.
FCC officials have said they will not allow the company to move forward until the GPS issues are resolved.
Republican lawmakers began calling for an investigation of the company's lobbying efforts after emails revealed LightSquared had communicated with senior White House aides. The administration also reportedly asked an Air Force general to change his testimony in a congressional briefing to make it more supportive of the company.
The White House and LightSquared deny any improper influence.
"If LightSquared has nothing to hide and would like to put questions of improper influence at the FCC, Department of Commerce and White House to rest, the public release of these communications would allow Congress and the American people to fully examine the facts and decide for themselves," Grassley wrote in his request to the company earlier this month.
But in LightSquared's response, the company worried that the GPS industry would only try to distort any documents that the company released.
"Given the transparent efforts of the GPS industry to politicize this issue, I admittedly have concerns that any materials we provide may be used selectively or taken out of context," wrote Mark Paoletta, a lawyer representing LightSquared.
A LightSquared executive told The Hill last week he believes the GPS industry has pushed negative political stories about LightSquared in an attempt to discredit the company and prevent the launch of its network.
In the letter to Grassley, the company argued that the senator should also request documents from the GPS industry to gain a complete picture of the lobbying efforts surrounding LightSquared's proposed network.
A spokeswoman for Grassley said the senator would request similar information from GPS makers Garmin, Trimble and John Deere if it would mean that LightSquared would release its communications.
“The public’s business ought to be public,” Grassley said Thursday.
..could be taken all the way back to Jeykll island in 1910.
I detect the pungent odor of fresh, steaming bovine excrement from these yoyos....
Their solar-powered shredders are working overtime, I bet.
We probably rely on it too much, only time will tell.
I think this was the key reason for the WH blocking the merger of ATT&T and T Mobile.
Make this a National Headline...
I know the rats in the media/press will continue you ignore real scandals and focus on occupy Wall Street. It’s all to protect Obama.
Light squared = Soros, nuff sed!
Find and follow the money...
Hey Bob - are those shapes on his hat the 4 states he’s going to carry in 2012?
LightSquard can buy advertising in every edition of the WSJ but they’re going nowhere.
FCC officials have said they will not allow the company to move forward until the GPS issues are resolved.
Actually this is how it always works when trying to get an FCC license. It is not clear to me what the fuss is all about. Of course there is pay to play and that is an issue but the FCC, even a short-lived Obama FCC, is not going to let them build out a system that would screw up GPS. Just not going to happen. Either they will figure out how to avoid the GPS interference of they are finished. As a worst case, it may take a GOP version of the FCC to kill it but that is not that many months away.
Interesting point.
I know he's often though of as a "RINO" but his careful and relentless plodding is keeping hte administration on the defensive and unearthing some seedy stuff.
He's the one who got the fast & furious thing going too.
too bad so sad cough em up. You can make excuses later. I admittedly have concerns it is just more corrupt cronyism, prove me wrong.
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