Chairman Thune Statement on FCC IG Report Concluding that Chairman Wheeler Initiated Lifeline Leak

The findings by the inspector general reveal significant dysfunction and a lack of transparency at the [Federal Communications Commission]. Under the agency’s current interpretation, the FCC chairman is free to leak cherry-picked details about proceedings and deliberations while other commissioners are gagged and even kept in the dark about decisions by the chairman to approve such leaks. Worse yet, the FCC is not keeping a record of decisions by the chairman to disclose non-public information. This report is yet another indication of increased partisanship and dysfunction at the FCC that underscores the need for Congress to reform how the agency does business.