Aide: Grassley 'Won't Yield Easily' on LightSquared

FCC Votes to Vacate Waiver, Put 4G Broadband Service on Indefinite Hold

By John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 2/15/2012 10:27:44 AM

Washington -- The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday put what looked to be the last nail in the coffin of LightSquared's proposed wholesale wireless broadband network.

But even that might not prove to enough to break the ice over the confirmation of two new FCC commissioners, whose full Senate vote has apparently been held up by a single, unhappy senator, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).

After the National Telecommunications & Information Administration concluded there was virtually no way that LightSquared's proposed 4G wholesale wireless network could keep from interfering with Global Positioning System receivers, the FCC moved to vacate LightSquared's waiver and put deployment of the service on indefinite hold.

At first glance, that would appear to have paved the way for Congress finally proceeding on full Senate consideration of FCC commissioners-in-waiting Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel. The appointments of Pai, a Republican, and Rosenworcel, a Democrat, have been under a hold threat from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) due to the FCC's decision not to release documents related to its grant of that LightSquared waiver.

Both seemed bipartisan shoe-ins at the end of last year until Grassley's hold threat over the unrelated LightSquared issue. That may yet prove to be the case -- both were approved unanimously in the Senate Commerce Committee -- but the Senator's office was not sounding conciliatory late Tuesday despite the FCC's moves.

"He really wants those documents," a Grassley aide told Multichannel News. "I don't think he'll yield easily."