Senate Panel Signs Off on FCC, FTC Nominees
The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved FCC and FTC nominations, setting up votes by the full Senate before the chamber leaves for the year. Voting by voice off the floor in the President’s Room, the committee approved the nominations of Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai for the FCC and Jon Leibowitz and Maureen Ohlhausen for the FTC. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, threatened again to block the FCC nominations due to his ongoing concerns about the LightSquared network.
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"I'm confident we can address any concerns about the nominees quickly so we can clear the way for full Senate confirmation,” Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said after the vote. At the Practising Law Institute conference Thursday, Rockefeller aide John Branscome described his boss as an “optimist” on overcoming Grassley’s objections and confirming the FCC nominees. Committee minority aide David Quinalty said the GOP side of the committee believes Pai and Rosenworcel are “well qualified” for the FCC jobs.
Rockefeller believes “there are no better candidates than the accomplished public servants the Commerce Committee approved today” for the FCC and FTC, Rockefeller said. Industry and other stakeholders unsurprisingly lavished praise on the candidates in statements. Grassley does not object to the FCC nominees, but has pledged to block them until the commission gives him documents about communications among the commission, the White House and LightSquared investor Harbinger.
The FCC “has provided none of the information and found excuses not to provide the information,” Grassley said Thursday. “Even the private companies involved, LightSquared and Harbinger Capital, have promised to be more forthcoming than the FCC as a public agency funded by the taxpayers. LightSquared and Harbinger Capital promised to provide me with requested documents on their dealings with the FCC this week. As a last resort to try to exhort more transparency and accountability from the FCC, I'll place a hold on consideration of the agency nominees on the Senate floor.”