Sen Grassley refutes Rockefeller's hopes for progress on FCC nominees

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) strongly denied suggestions by Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) that any sort of settlement in the impasse over Grassley's hold on Federal Communications Commission nominees Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel in the near future.

While Sen Grassley wouldn't talk to reporters when asked about the matter, a spokesman said that his office had received the documents and, while they were being reviewed, it remained "unclear whether the documents contain internal, previously unreleased materials related to the FCC's decision-making on LightSquared." The spokesman also claimed that "[s]o far, of the first 1,174 pages reviewed, 1,171 pages are news clips that are publicly available." Sen Grassley and his staff have also said that previous sets of documents released by the commission contained nothing pertinent to Grassley's concerns. "Sen. Grassley has asked consistently, beginning with and since his initial request of April 27, 2011, for internal documents that would shed light into why the FCC appeared to give expedited initial approval to LightSquared's wireless project," the spokesman said, while denying allegations that Grassley had "moved the ball" on his demands from the agency. "He simply wants access to FCC documents so he can determine whether the FCC is performing due diligence before approving major projects involving public resources and affecting consumers," the spokesman said.