Sen McCaskill Presses FCC Chairman Pai On Missing Lifeline Fines

Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO), ranking mbmer of the Homeland and Government Affairs Committee, is one of the biggest critics of the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai -- who shares her concerns about waste, fraud and abuse in the program -- Sen McCaskill demanded answers for why almost $90 million in fines against Lifeline providers who profited from rule violations had yet to be collected. "Between September 2013 and February 2014, the FCC proposed more than $94 million in fines to 12 Lifeline providers for enrolling ineligible subscribers. Only one of the companies has publicly agreed to pay money back to the FCC, and 10 of the companies continue to receive Lifeline payments from the FCC," McCaskill's office said. Sen McCaskill wants answers from Chairman Pai on what he is doing to hold companies accountable, and wants a bunch of information by Dec. 22, including why six of the cases against the providers had been closed without "further" enforcement action by Pai's predecessor, Tom Wheeler, and the FCC's ability to cut off Lifeline participants who have gotten a notice of apparent liability.