Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today asked the FCC to provide more information on the proposal to close 16 of the agency’s 24 field offices. In a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the lawmakers said the Commission has only provided the panel with a two-page memo and a 35-page slide presentation on a consultant’s report concerning the proposal to close the field offices. “These cannot be the sole basis upon which you concluded to close the field offices,” the lawmakers said.

The FCC had vowed to provide the committee with documents related to consultants’ analysis concerning the field offices, the lawmakers noted.

“Your proposal to shutter 16 of the commission’s 24 field offices raises significant challenges and concerns. The commission has represented to Congress and the American people that it will ‘preserve the integrity of public safety communications infrastructure by taking action on 99% of complaints of interference to public safety communications within one day,’ yet your proposal to reduce the geographic footprint of the commission appears to ignore the impact this might have on the commission’s public interest goal,” the lawmakers said.

“Our concerns have only been heightened by the commission’s failure to provide all the information requested by the committee,” they said.

They asked for all documents and the final report by the outside consultants and all documents and other communications related to the field office closure proposal prepared by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and Office of Managing Director. The lawmakers want the information by May 7.

Signing the letter were full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R., Mich.), communications and technology subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R., Ore.), oversight and investigations subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R., Pa.), and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.). – Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TR Daily