GOP lawmaker wants probe of White House support of LightSquared

Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subpanel, called for an investigation of whether the White House inappropriately intervened to support wireless startup LightSquared.

“In my capacity as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, I will be asking Chairman (Darrell) Issa (R-CA) and ranking member (Edolphus) Towns (D-NY) to promptly investigate this matter,” Chairman Turner said at a subcommittee hearing. “We cannot afford to have federal telecommunication policy, especially where it affects national security, to be made in the same way this White House has parceled out a half billion dollars in loan guarantees to the failed Solyndra Corporation, a large political campaign contributor of the president,” Chairman Turner said, referring to the bankrupt solar firm that received government loans. Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA.) questioned whether the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency responsible for advising the president on telecommunication issues, lobbied on behalf of LightSquared. “I've been in politics for 14 years. I have never seen an agency advocate so strongly for something like this, unless there was pressure from above or a relationship that was not being disclosed,” he said. Although LightSquared has modified its proposal to mitigate the interference issues, witnesses at the Armed Services hearing said the network would still interfere with military GPS devices.