GOP SCANDAL: House Probe of FCC Finds "Egregious Abuses of Power"

[mod mom]

House Probe of FCC Finds "Egregious Abuses of Power"

A year-long Congressional investigation of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin found "egregious abuses of power," though it was unclear whether the nation's top telecommunications regulator broke any rules or laws during his leadership.

The report released today on the probe, titled "Deception and Distrust" and led by Reps. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, found Martin suppressed information and manipulated data to serve his agenda.

"Any of these findings, individually, are cause for concern," said Dingell. "Together, the findings suggest that, in recent years, the FCC has operated in a dysfunctional manner and Commission business has suffered as a result. It is my hope that the new FCC Chairman will find this report instructive and that it will prove useful in helping the Commission avoid making the same mistakes."

Martin has been criticized by FCC staff members for pushing his proposals to loosen media ownership rules and requirements for a la carte pricing of cable television through such tactics as suppressing agency studies that do not support his agenda

-snip

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2008/12/house_probe_of_fcc_finds_egreg.html?nav=rss_blog

[zbdent]

1. If it's not Illinois, and can't be tangentially tied to Barack Obama,

it won't get much traction ...

[Triana]

2. Exactly. n/t

[ThomWV]

4. By saying it won't get much traction what you are saying is its not important enough to interest you

And that is a crying shame because this is the very base of the reason we do not have a reliable source of accurate information about going's on in our nation.

[zbdent]

8. bad assumption ...

it will not be "important enough" to get the CORPORATE MEDIA's attention ...

[sendero]

3. While I agree...

.. that Martin is a piece of work, I fully support the idea of a la carte cable and satellite pricing.

It's time for about half of the shopping and religious channels to stop wasting bandwidth.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. I'm with you!

Shopping, religious, golf, hunting, languages-other-than-English stations, Faux "News," etc., you add it all up and it makes up easily 80% of what I'm NOT watching, yet having to pay for. Personally, I would LOVE to get rid of cable but my family would do unspeakable things to me if I even tried. :shrug:

[jasmeel]

6. I highly rec this story.. the FCC is a joke.

[NOW tense]

7. I think Gomer Pyle said it best

"Surprise Surprise Surprise!"