FCC Commissioner Starks on Sprint Lifeline Investigation and Merger Review

The misconduct alleged today, if true, amounts to corporate malfeasance. A single company apparently misappropriated funds for nearly 10 percent of the entire Lifeline program. I am outraged. There is no credible way that the merger before us can proceed until this Lifeline investigation is resolved and responsible parties are held accountable. Without the benefit of the findings of this investigation into what appears to be the worst case of Lifeline violations in Federal Communications Commission history, it is impossible for us to trust in the integrity and completeness of the record, evaluate the character and fitness of the applicants, and exercise our statutorily defined obligation to grant only license transfers that serve the public interest. I call for our staff to conduct a thorough review during this pause – the integrity of our merger review process is at stake.