Sen Sullivan Still Blocking FCC Nominations

Despite Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s attempt to resolve Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-AK) concerns over the subsidy funding flowing to his state, the senator said the fix isn’t enough and that he will keep blocking reconfirmation of Commissioner Brendan Carr, at least until he meets with Chairman Pai to discuss the matter. Both Sen. Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) placed holds on the Carr nomination because of frustrations over subsidies sought by an Alaskan telecom company. Sullivan’s objections are not “necessarily how much they’re paying” to his state’s telecom companies but what he judges the lack of government predictability for the telecom industry. “What I am trying to make sure I get is that going forward, there’s transparency, there’s rules, there’s predictability, so people have certainty and they can make investment decisions and sign contracts,” said Sen. Sullivan. “But right now, the way in which they operated, the system in my view has been very damaging to my constituents.” The FCC’s current subsidy system is “completely difficult, no rhyme or reason,” according to Sen. Sullivan, who points to the wrangling of Alaska’s GCI Communications Corp.  An FCC spokesman was quick to counter that telecom companies need to justify why they need millions in subsidies. “When companies like GCI fail to maintain or transmit that documentation in a timely manner (or provide Commission staff with inaccurate information), they reap the consequences of their own delays and failure to comply with federal law.” And in any case, the FCC’s recent actions are bound to “provide the company with even greater certainty for future years,” the spokesman added.