FCC's Martin Is Silent in Probe

Lawmakers investigating Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said yesterday that he has failed to respond to their requests for an interview, even though Congress has neared the final stages of its inquiry into his leadership. House Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI)and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak (D-MI) on Friday sent a letter to Chairman Martin and three other FCC staffers-- chief of staff, Dan Gonzalez; the FCC's inspector general, Kent Nilsson; and Catherine Bohigian, a former aide to Martin who is vice president of federal affairs for Cablevision Systems -- telling them that they have until Nov. 21 to meet with the House committee staff. If they do not, the committee will finalize its report without their input. A committee spokesperson said the final report is expected to be released this month. Martin's office said it has cooperated with Dingell and Stupak's office in the investigation and has provided thousands of documents at their request.