Chairmen Upton, Walden Probe FCC on New Spectrum Screen Standards/AT&T Report Release

House Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission regarding its decision to revise the spectrum screen after reviewing the AT&T / T-Mobile deal.

The chairmen wrote, “Throughout the 112th Congress, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology has taken a hard look at the processes of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure that the Commission maintains the highest standard of transparency and predictability in the exercise of its duties. We therefore request additional information on how you decide whether to release staff analyses or other materials surrounding withdrawn items and how the FCC uses the ‘spectrum screen’ process in reviewing the spectrum holdings of FCC licensees. “The FCC apparently changed its spectrum screen in the recently released staff analysis on the AT&T / T-Mobile transaction, a document that was not adopted by the FCC. Moreover, questions remain as to how the Commission uses the spectrum screen.”

Members requested the FCC explain what processes it followed in making the decision by December 19, 2011.