Sen. Grassley Says LightSquared E-mails Smack of Improper Contact

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who has been seeking information from the Federal Communications Commission and others about LightSquared's waiver to launch a 4g wholesale wireless network, has written to LightSquared principal Philip Falcone to ask him to explain what the senator calls a questionable contact with the Senator's office over the issue.

In the letter, Grassley said that contact, comprising e-mails from both Falcone and a person claiming to represent LightSquared, "that intimated benefits for Grassley if he softened his inquiry of government approval of the project." Sen Grassley said Falcone's e-mail -- he supplied a redacted copy to the press -- suggested that the network could be a "win" for Grassley, while the second example -- an e-mail string with someone who Sen Grassley says also arranged a Fox News Channel booking for Falcone, "hinted" that Iowa could get a call center. According to the e-mail's, after Grassley's office signaled that they thought the suggestion was inappropriate, the representative said he was only pointing out the local connection of the issue for the Senator.