Walden convenes FCC oversight hearing, exposes waste, fraud

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) convened a hearing on Tuesday to probe waste, fraud and abuse within the FCC’s Universal Service Lifeline program.

Walden, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said in announcing the hearing that pledges of openness and transparency from the FCC had failed to materialize.

“(Tuesday) marked our sixth oversight hearing, with another likely to come in September,” Walden said. “Calls for openness and transparency have gone unanswered, certain agency proposals place undue burdens on consumers and broadband providers, and rampant abuse continues to plague the Lifeline program. It’s our important responsibility to maintain stringent oversight of the FCC moving forward.”

U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) asked FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai for an update on FCC process reform and task forces that have been formed to examine FCC processes.

“We’ve gotten absolutely nowhere,” Pai said. “The chairman says that a lot of these are good ideas but we can’t get any of them to move forward.”

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) discussed innovation in the marketplace and cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach to the FCC’s set-top box proposal.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, added that the matter of rural call completion, uncovering waste and fraud in the Universal Service Fund should not be partisan issues.

“Let’s continue working to do better,” Upton said. “There is much at stake, and we all want a flourishing and functioning, truly independent agency to help guide our economy for years to come.”