Senator Warren, Rep Jayapal Investigate Reports that FCC Advisory Council is Dominated by Industry Insiders

Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, requesting more information about reports that the FCC's Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) may be inappropriately dominated by industry insiders. A recent investigation by the nonpartisan independent watchdog group, Project On Government Oversight (POGO), found that "the panel...is dominated by industry influences and falling short of legal requirements." In fact, "more than half of its members represented private sector interests, either as a direct employee of a for-profit company or via affiliation with an industry trade group." "Having the FCC's policy-making process rely on input from individuals employed by, or affiliated with, the corporations that it is tasked with overseeing is the very definition of regulatory capture. The FCC should be working on behalf of American consumers, not giant telecommunications companies," wrote the lawmakers. Beyond the obvious conflicts of interest and risks to consumers created by this arrangement, the current makeup of the council may not be consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires that the membership of federal agency advisory committees must "be fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed." In order to better understand the extent to which the CSRIC may be corrupted by undue corporate influence, as well as its role in FCC policy-making, Sen Warren requested answers to her questions no later than July 12.