Elizabeth Warren Accuses Advisory Panel For FCC of Corruption

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: A panel that provides policy advice to the Federal Communications Commission is “stacked with corporate insiders,” Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said Monday. She cited a blog post by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), which showed more than half of all Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) members are direct employees of private companies or of industry trade groups. This could lead to allegations that rather than working for American consumers, the FCC is working for “giant telecom companies”, Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, tweeted Monday. “This is the definition of corruption: industry members writing the rules to benefit themselves & their rich friends,” she added in another tweet. Sen. Warren has called on FCC Chair Ajit Pai to “explain the extent to which CSRIC may be corrupted by corporate influence.” A letter from Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal dated June 27, spotted earlier by The Hill, asks for information (PDF) from Pai on whether the panel is “inappropriately dominated by industry (pdf) insiders.” “The industry-dominated personnel on the panel have recommended policies that are directly in line with the wishes of the companies from which their members are drawn,” the letter says, adding that POGO says a lack of expertise among FCC members means they rely increasingly on the panel’s recommendations.