A Republican lawmaker is questioning whether there are any conflicts of interest for dozens of consultants and industry veterans who have taken up residence on the Federal Communications Commission’s sixth floor to help write the agency’s National Broadband Plan.
California Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has raised concerns over whether the consultants, some of who are apparently on leave from private sector jobs, might use any information they glean from their work on the plan to help their employers.
In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Tuesday, Issa said he was concerned about a “lack of transparency surrounding positions held at the FCC by lobbyists and industry insiders on a temporary basis.”
“The presence of employees on leave from companies and lobbying firms invested in, or interested in, broadband development increases the potential for conflict of interest and unfair influence,” he wrote.
An FCC spokesman said the agency was “reviewing the congressman’s letter and will respond appropriately.”
Several FCC staffers have been working on the plan, but the bulk of the work has been done by outsiders who were hired on a temporary basis with stimulus funds. The broadband plan, which the FCC is required to send to Congress in February, aims to provide a blueprint for the country to improve the availability and affordability of broadband service.
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Rep. Issa Raises Question of Conflict in FCC’s Broadband Plan
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Date: 12/08/2009
