FCC Faces Senate Commerce Committee Panel In Oversight Hearing

On Capitol Hill

The four presently-serving FCC Commissioners came before the SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE TODAY (8/16) for an oversight hearing that focused on the Commission's missteps in the Net Neutrality proceeding as well as rural broadband, the Lifeline program, telehealth services, robocalls, and other issues. 

The panel generated the news that FCC Chairman AJIT PAI disclosed that WHITE HOUSE counsel DON MCGAHN called him to discuss the aborted SINCLAIR-TRIBUNE deal last month, before the deal was terminated, but PAI, responding to a question from Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT)  on whether anyone from the WHITE HOUSE had called the Commission about the merger, added that the call came after he had already announced his intention to refer the merger to an Administrative Law Judge and that MCGAHN's call was a "status inquiry" and not interference in the process.  BLUMENTHAL asked PAI to provide a written summary of the conversation.

Responding to Sen. BILL NELSON (D-FL)'s question on broadcast consolidation, Commissioner JESSICA ROSENWORCEL said that due to the agency's rollback of ownership restrictions "to the point where we almost have none," she is "worried we are losing localism in our broadcasting."

To Sen. BRIAN SCHATZ's (D-HI) question on the Commission's false claim of a DDoS attack against its comment system in the Net Neutrality case and why PAI "ran with" the FCC CIO's assertion, PAI, after initially dodging the question by referring SCHATZ to the Inspector General's report, admitted he had doubts but that the CIO assured him it was "99%" likely that a DDoS attack was responsible. He added that he wanted the report to get out as soon as possible despite the IG's request for confidentiality.

Sen. MAGGIE HASSAN (D-NH) brought up PAI's "struggle" in a previous hearing to say that the press is not the "enemy of the people" as President TRUMP has asserted, and PAI responded that he does not believe the press is the enemy, but once again demurred on commenting on "political" comments like the President's.  Commissioner MICHAEL O'RIELLY also said it was "not appropriate" to comment on the President's statements but said that press freedom is stronger than any person's comments; Commissioner BRENDAN CARR similarly would not criticize the President, but ROSENWORCEL said, "This is simple, this is easy -- yes, it's harmful."

« see more Net News