Senator Uses FCC Nomination Process To Question National Wireless Network

K7DAN contributes this excerpt from the intersection of politics, regulation, and high technology: "Sen. Charles Grassley is standing by his threat to place a hold on two nominees to the Federal Communications Commission over concerns about a controversial new wireless network the agency has allowed to move forward. The Iowa Republican this week accused the FCC of refusing to comply with his requests for information on its discussions with Virginia company LightSquared regarding its next-generation national wireless network. Some fear the network would hinder the effectiveness of high-precision GPS systems — used by the military, farmers and others. Grassley also raised questions about the involvement of Harbinger, the hedge fund behind the project and founded by Democratic donor Philip Falcone."

Comments

Re:Other Motivation?

[vlm]

Why do I get the feeling that there is some motivation (other than lost farming equipment) behind the resistance to the LightSquared network?

I checked out Grassley on opensecrets.org

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2012&cid=n00001758&type=I&newmem=N

and he doesn't appear to get much money from telcos. He seems primarily a slave of the medical industrial complex. It could be he's doing a favor for a slave owned by the telcos, in exchange the telco-owned-slave will promote some medical industrial complex ripoff for his owner's interests..

But at least directly, he's not getting involved in something related to his owners interests. Hard to imagine what a Hospital/Nursing Home could care about LightSquared. Big money donors don't like loose cannons, he'd best look out. He's supposed to be devising new ways for healthcare to rip us off, not networking.