Friday, September 2, 2011

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Affiliations - Conflicts of Interest

Employment History

PeriodEmployerTitleAdditional Info
2009-Dept of Commerce
Revolving Door Personnel: (209)
Asst Secretary for Communications & InfoAgency lobbying profile
2004-2007Broadwing Communications
Revolving Door Personnel: (1)
Chief Regulatory & ComplianceClient lobbying profile
1997-2000Federal Communications Commission
Revolving Door Personnel: (150)
Chief of the Common Carrier BureauAgency lobbying profile
1987-1997Ameritech Corp
Revolving Door Personnel: (2)
Vice President of Public PolicyClient lobbying profile
Allegiance Telecom
Revolving Door Personnel: (3)
VP of Industry DevelopmentClient lobbying profile
Kirkland & Ellis
Revolving Door Personnel: (11)
Litigation PartnerFirm lobbying profile
  Lobbying Firm     Private Sector     Federal Govt.     State/Local Govt.


http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=76116

Monday, March 7, 2011

Lawrence Strickling - NTIA, Department of Commerce, FCC, Kirkland and Ellis - ALL Convenient Connections and Favors Owed?

It seems that Lawrence Strickling is the Key Government Player connecting the Different Companies and agencies to make sure of Special Spectrum Favors. The FCC is pretty much the
NTIA right ? Much more on those connections and WHY I have not YET made those Connections On My Blogs... Coming SOON..

"Lawrence E. Strickling

Lawrence E. Strickling (click for higher resolution)Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information
and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) U.S. Department of Commerce

Lawrence E. Strickling has served as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce since June 25, 2009. In this role, Strickling serves as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the executive branch agency that is principally responsible for advising the President on communications and information policies.

Key issues on NTIA’s agenda include the management of the $4.7 billion broadband grants program created by the Recovery Act, administration of Federal agency spectrum requirements, and Internet governance and other Internet policy matters.

Mr. Strickling is a technology policy expert with more than two decades of experience in the public and private sectors.

As Policy Coordinator for Obama for America, Strickling oversaw two dozen domestic policy committees and was responsible for technology and telecommunications issues.

Prior to joining the campaign, Strickling was Chief Regulatory and Chief Compliance Officer at Broadwing Communications for three years.

His private sector experience also includes serving in senior roles at Allegiance Telecom and CoreExpress, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Directors of Network Plus.

In government, Strickling served at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau from 1998 to 2000.

Prior to that, Strickling was Associate General Counsel and Chief of the FCC's Competition Division.

Prior to joining the FCC, Strickling was Vice President, Public Policy at Ameritech.

Before Ameritech, he was a litigation partner at the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.

Strickling earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in economics. Prior to his appointment, he served on the Board of Visitors at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago's Court Theatre, and on the Board of Directors of Music of the Baroque in Chicago."


Source
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/about/bio_strickling.html


NTIA Resources

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/spectrumreform/

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/osmhome.html



Friday, March 4, 2011

Special Political Favors involving Larry Strickling and in the Best Interest of Motorola.

"The improprieties stemming from the Bay Area UASI’s sponsorship of Motorola’s application for a $50M Federal BTOP grant continue to mount.

Top officials from the County of Santa Clara and City of San Jose continue to document the wrongdoing, and Federal officials at the U.S. Department of Commerce continue to make excuses to cover up what appears to a be a well-orchestrated conspiracy.

Laura Phillips continues to serve as the Bay Area UASI Executive Director, along with her team of former Motorola employees.

Lawrence Stricking, the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Commerce Department NTIA is responsible for the Federal oversight of the BTOP program.

Mr. Strickling is an attorney previously employed by Kirkland and Ellis, LLP, a law firm. This firm includes Motorola in its portfolio of clients.

“It is simply not acceptable to put Motorola’s interests above the mandated ARRA principles of integrity and transparency”, stated Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith.

Smith also points out that a $50M grant alone will not be enough to make the BayWEB project work. It will cost at least ten times this amount to complete the project.

The project will fail for everyone except Motorola."

More Documentation at Source, Click Below




Ken Boehm on Philip Falcone, LightSquared and Special FCC and Political Favors.

"February 2, 2011

The Honorable Darrell Issa

The Honorable Edolphus Towns

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

U. S. House of Representatives


Dear Chairman Issa and Congressman Towns:

As chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, your committee has a special responsibility to oversee ethics matters with federal policy implications.

There are few issues more important today than reinforcing Americans' faith in government at all levels and particularly the high ethics standards the Obama Administration set forth two years ago.

Unfortunately, those ethics standards may have been called into question recently regarding federal wireless communications policy. This letter brings to your attention a series of odd procedural decisions at an independent regulatory agency the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - that appear to have been undertaken solely for the financial benefit of one individual.

As outlined in further detail below, these process decisions, series of contacts,apparent appearances of impropriety, and potential conflicts of interest seem to reveal improper influence peddling before the Executive Branch, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Federal Communications Commission.

Background
As you may know, the National Legal and Policy Center was among the first to disclose revelations that Andrew Mclaughlin, the former White House Policy Advisor at OSTP, was secretly communicating by email with his former employees at Google about public policy issues affecting the company.

In the course of our research, we conducted a thorough review of visits to OSTP by industry leaders.

As a consequence of our analysis of White House visitor records and meetings with OSTP officials, we have found another potentially troubling ethics issue concerning Phil Falcone, Harbinger Capital Partners, and Mr. Falcone's wireless venture, LightSquared.

Phil Falcore, the founder of a hedge fund known as Harbinger Capital Partners is currently under criminal and civil investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Falcone and Harbinger scored big gains for investors
in 2007,buthis fund has since shrunk from $26.5 billion to about $9 billion from losses and
client withdrawals. Harbinger's fund was off 15% for the year as of last November, and
investors like Goldman Sachs and Blackstone Group had put in requests to withdraw funds.

As importantly, investors have expressed increased anxiety over Mr. Falcone's plans to launch a
global wireless satellite network known as LightSquared.

The majority of Harbinger's declining assets have been pledged to the venture, but many believe the initiative is risky and underfunded.

Experts believe that building a wireless network can require as much as $40 billion in
investment. Interestingly, d May 31,2010 story from The Register reported that "Harbinger
region of $6 billion."

Mr. Falcone's Wireless Plans

Mr. Falcone's wireless plans appear to focus on taking advantage of an FCC wireless loophole that would allow the circumvention of the billions of dollars in investment required to purchase wireless spectrum by takitrg over a distressed satellite company (SkyTerra, now LightSquared ) and entering the wireless phone and Internet market at a fraction of the cost of competitors.

Mr. Falcone then plans to lease or sell a part of that spectrum for wireless phone or Internet service to a consumer wireless company (or companies) that could share in the costs of building and operating the network all without the need to operate the satellite network or sell satellite service.

The plan centered around first securing FCC approval for Harbinger's acquisition of SkyTerra, then getting the FCC to "fast-track" approval for Harbinger to take advantage of a little-known spectrum loophole for satellite licenses.

The Loophole

FCC policy regarding satellite license holders allows the holders to "supplement" satellite spectrum withfree terrestrial (land-based) spectrum. The policy was implemented because satellites have limited transmission power, and the opaque nature of rooftops and buildings limits effective coverage.

Satellite operators are thus permitted to run base stations on the ground, at the same frequency and use free terrestrial spectrum to "fill in the gaps." The land-base spectrum is known as Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC), and is free to use for companies possessing a satellite license.

Thus, the loophole Harbinger was seeking allowed LightSquared to essentially build out its
national 4G state-of-the-art wireless and broadband network using the
-frun
terrestrial spectrum rt
is permitted to use as part of its satellite license, avoiding the requirements to immediately invest upfront capital to launch expensive satellites. The terrestrial spectrum can then be leased to wireless providers.

It is important to note that other companies that want to compete in the IJ.S" wireless phone and Internet market have to pay billions of dollars at auction to use the public airwaves (spectrum), and those billions accrue to the benefit of taxpayers. By contrast, Falcone's bold plan would build out ancillary wireless network taking advantage of free spectrum paid for by taxpayer expense.

Clearwire, for instance, already has invested substantial sums to secure spectrum and
build out its wireless network.

Falcone's Pluns Required Unprecedented FCC Intervention on his behalf
None of Mr. Falcone's plans would be successful, however, unless he was successful in
persuading the Administration and the F CC to intervene on his behalf. And over the course of
the past year, a series of odd decisions, questionable meetings and procedural anomalies at the
Federal Communications Commission and White House highlight Mr. Falcone's growing
influence in the hallways of government.

Mr. Falcone's plans required the investment of the majority of Harbinger's assets into a littleknown satellite company (SkyTerra) despite substantial investor opposition. The merger
between Harbinger and SkyT erra was conditioned on FCC approval, and accordingly, in October of 2009, the parties sought such approval for majority control of SkyTeffa and atransfer of their satellite license in a proposed merger transaction.'

The transaction moved through the FCC at an accelerated pace and was approved within five
months of filing its restructured takeover request in October 2009. For comparison sake, given the slow speed in which the agency acts, the FCC typically decides merger transactions in 180 days. Since many merger transactions go well beyond that period, the FCC has an informal 180-, day "shot clock" as a method of keeping transactions moving inside of the agency. Falcone's approval arrived a month before the FCC's shot clock period.

On February 26,2010 during the FCC's public comment period on the proposed transaction,
Harbinger filed a confidential business plan document that included certain conditions the
comp any agreed to in order to obtain FCC approval of the license transfer" These conditions
included an unprecedented agreement that without prior approval from the FCC, Harbinger

During FCC merger proceedings, parties typically file confidential materials that are protected
from the public. under FCC rules, however, the public must be notified within 24 hours that a
filing of confidential material was submitted into the record. In this case. the FCC withheld
The letter was made public only on March 31, 2010, five days after the FCC approved the license transfer, and nine days after the Harbinger/SkyTerra merger was approved by SkyTerra shareholders.

The FCC also violated its own precedent by failing to place in the record and publicly disclose
the merger conditions (non-confidential data) before the deal was frnahzed so that interested
parties would have an opportunity to comment on the proposed conditions.

The FCC's electronic filing system also reveals additional anomalies with respect to Falcone's
transaction
-
a confidential document filed on February 12 also appeared on the electronic
docket on March l2-the document has yet to be made final. In fact. no public notice of the
earllr 2010 until weeks or months later.

On April 27,2010 Senators Hutchinson, DeMint, Vitter and Brownback sent FCC Chairman
Genachowsk i a joint letter with numerous inquiries regarding the Falcone transaction"

On May 10, Genachowski replied with a non-responsive letter. These correspondences were not posted electronically), for weeks after they were filed. In addition to violating FCC procedure and precedent, the FCC's actions in withholdimg these documents from public view directly contradicts Chairman Genachowski's promise to maintain an open and transparent process at the FCC".

On November 19,2010, Mr. Falcone implemented the final stage of his plan, applying for a
waiver of FCC's rules to allow SkyTeffa (nowre-named Lightsquared) to begin selling wireless
phone and Internet services utrhztngfree tercestrial spectrum (ATC) to wholesale customers
without having to operate its satellite system. In an unprecedented move for the agency, the FCC placed Mr. Falcone's waiver request on a "fast track" approval schedule with a truncated 10-day, comment period over the Thanksgiving holiday. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the FCC granted a three-day extension of the comment period, still well short of the standard 3 0-day period for public comment.

How Phil Falcone ensured a "suitably flexible FCC"

Sensing an opportunity to exploit FCC satellite license "loopholes" while playitrg into the
Administration's agenda to find another facilities-based wireless and broadband provider, it now appears that Mr. Falcone worked throughout 2009 to secure special consideration and tilt the playing field to get his wireless venture off the ground.

According to White House visitor access logs, on September 22,2009, Mr. Falcone and
LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja personally visited the White House and met with the Chief of
Staff at the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). One day later,the
Harbinger/SkyTerra merger agreement was signed.

Mr. Falcone's contributions to the DSCC were anomalous he long has been a much larger donor
to the Republican Party.

In fact, just prior to the $60,800 in contributions to the Democrats, the most Mr. Falcone and his spouse previously contributed during that political cycle was $2,400.

As for Sanjiv Ahuja, his $30 ,400 contribution to the DNC was his first political contribution in
eight years, and prior to that he contributed only to Republicans between 1998-2002.

On January 21, 2010, Mr. Falcone visited the White House again, this time for an appointment
with John Holdrer, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Falcone Hired Husband of Senior FCC Staffer, Steve Glaze, to Lobby the FCC on Mobile Satellite Services In addition to well-timed political contributions to the DSCC at the height of merger review discussions, Mr. Falcone's Harbinger also secured the assistance of a lobbyittg firm, the Palmetto Group, via Harbinger's legal counsel Goldberg,

On January 12,2011, the National Telecommunications and Information Authority (an authority housed within the Department of Commerce responsible for working with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration's position on telecom issues) sent a letter to Chaffman Genachowski objecting to the ATC waiver for SkyTerra and stating that the "grant of the LightSquared waiver would create a new interference environment and it is incumbent on the FCC to deal with the resultitrg interference issues before any interference occurs." (emphasis in original)

Attached to Assistant Secretary Strickling's letter was a letter from Danny Price, Director of Spectrum and Communication Policy at the Department of Defense to Strickling, stating that DoD is concerned with the order and authorization being conducted without the proper analysis requred to make a well informed decision. Given the potential negative impacts to GPS.

Inmarsat and AMT operations request NTIA advocate to the FCC to defer action on the waiver request and place this application under a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making....

The United States GPS Industry Council (USGPSIC) has also raised concerns in a letter to the NTIA: "the potential for interference to existing terrestrial and adjacent mobile space services from the introduction of a primary terrestrial voice and data broadband service...is order of magnitude more significant than under the original MSS ATC mode of operation."

The USGPSIC letter continues, "none of these changes can be fully and fairly vetted without an open rule making proceeding, as the current application process initiated by the FCC is insufficient for the proposed changes.

Indeed, the FCC governing statute and its rules and regulations require an Administrative Procedure Act (APA)-sanctioned rulemaking in order to implement this transformation.

Notably, the letter raises serious concerns about interference with E911 and law enforcement GPS Applications.

Summary

Last Tuesddy,the FCC, or delegated authority, officialft granted the request by LightSquared to drop the FCC's long-standing requirement that its new 4G service be a satellite service. In
One can speculate whether or not those "unique" circumstances are related to Mr. Falcone's
September 30, 2009 meeting with the White House, and subsequent political contributions to the.

DSCC (in fact, the maximum contributions allowedby law), butthe outcome of the FCC's
decision means other similarly situated satellite companies will not be able to take advantage of the same loophole, as the license modification is only valid for LightSquared.

The ramifications of the FCC's favoritism are enormous. Consider for instance other competitive nationwide mobile providers like Clearwire, which have purchased terrestrial spectrum at auction for substantial sums and have invested millions more -- in Clearwire's case -- to build out its 4G network.

For them, the message couldn't be more clear: Companies who play by the rules,
create jobs, and invest in building out competing networks, are now at great risk of seeing their
plans entirely upended by the FCC's arbitrary "unique" circumstances that give a Clearwire
competitor the same terrestrial spectrum for free and essentially exempt them from requirements to invest and build out a competing network by using a wholesale model where free satellite spectrum can be leased and "laundered" to other terrestrial mobile providers.

Based on this evidence and the record outlined above, it would app ear that Mr. Falcore, a hedge fund trader currently under federal civil and criminal investigation, purchased a distressed satellite company to obtain a federal government bailout worth billions of dollars by shrewdly taking advantage of existing loopholes and preferential treatment by the FCC.

Mr. Falcone, who previously was almost exclusively a supporter of GOP causes and candidates
gained access and influence to the Obama Administration and Democrats through well-timed
White House visits and contributions to the DSCC - weeks before filing his merger application
at the FCC" Since then, at virtually every step of the way, Mr. Falcone has received favorable treatment and expedited consideration of his plans to offer wireless satellite services utilizing free terrestrial spectrum that would cost billions in the marketplace.

The FCC for its part, has fast tracked the merger, granting approval with lightnitrg speed in
March of 201 0. During the entire process, the FCC has cut procedural corners, failed to publicly disclose ex parte contacts between Mr. Falcore, his representatives and the FCC, failed to consider the legitim ate concerns of governmental authorities and GPS stakeholders about the ATC license waiver, and as announced last week, ultimately granted the crucial final waiver
necessary for LightSquared (and only LightSquared) to begin offering wireless services using
terrestrial spectrum.

Given the above, and given the special responsibility of federal agencies to not only avoid
conflicts of interest, but to avoid even the appearance of conflicts, the above record is troubling.
No fair-minded person could look at the record so far and not believe that further investigation is
warranted. These actions call out for your committee to conduct a thorough investigation so that citizens will have the benefit of the full record.

Chairman National Legal and Policy Center "


Source of Post


Philip Falcone Asks Where Did you Get that Letter Anyway ? More on That Coming Soon.

Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications Showing Favoritism Worth Billions to Harbinger Capital Partners Connected Companies.

Special Political Favors involving Larry Strickling and in the Best Interest of Motorola. Which is Actually in the Best interest of Harbinger Capital Partners, Philip Falcone Lightsquared and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Here is the Information Exposing Larry Strickling Corruption, Favortism and Collusion.

"" The improprieties stemming from the Bay Area UASI’s sponsorship of Motorola’s application for a $50M Federal BTOP grant continue to mount.

Top officials from the County of Santa Clara and City of San Jose continue to document the wrongdoing, and Federal officials at the U.S. Department of Commerce continue to make excuses to cover up what appears to a be a well-orchestrated conspiracy.

Laura Phillips continues to serve as the Bay Area UASI Executive Director, along with her team of former Motorola employees.

Lawrence Stricking, the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Commerce Department NTIA is responsible for the Federal oversight of the BTOP program.

Mr. Strickling is an attorney previously employed by Kirkland and Ellis, LLP, a law firm. This firm includes Motorola in its portfolio of clients.

“It is simply not acceptable to put Motorola’s interests above the mandated ARRA principles of integrity and transparency”, stated Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith.

Smith also points out that a $50M grant alone will not be enough to make the BayWEB project work. It will cost at least ten times this amount to complete the project.

The project will fail for everyone except Motorola."

More Documentation at Source of Above, Click Below

Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications Pulling more favors in the Best interest of Harbinger Capital Partners , Lightsquared and Philip Falcone .

Also Note the Conflict of Interest with Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications
and Motorola.

Harbinger Capital is Heavily invested in Motorola Right? (which by the Way illegally uses the IViewit Technology, more on that later) anyway Harbinger Capital Partners, Philip Falcone Lightsquared invested in Motorola and gave a 7 Billion Dollar Contract to Nokia Siemens to Build the "Network" - and ....

Nokia Siemens Networks is on the Creditors Committee in the Terrestar Bankruptcy, don't you think that They Will Favor Harbinger Capital Partners, Lightsquared Philip Falcone ???

"Fresh off its agreement to buy Motorola Inc.'s networks business, Nokia Siemens Networks said it will build Harbinger Capital Partners' LTE"

Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications was part of Favors for Harbinger Capital Partners, Philip Falcone Lightsquared in the Spectrum Favortism Allegations Right?

So Favoritism to Motorola is Favoritism to Harbinger Capital and to Nokia Siemens - and Nokia Siemens is on the SIDE of whats best for Harbinger Capital in the Terrestar Bankruptcy, and Lightsquared ran by Harbinger Capital Partners, Philip Falcone Lightsquared

More on the Terrestar Bankruptcy

Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications - Harbinger Capital Partners, PhilipFalcone Lightsquared Connections.


Ken Boehm - Chairman National Legal and Policy Center Letter to The Honorable Darrell Issa, The Honorable Edolphus Towns, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives REGARDING Special Favors Connected to Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications - Philip Falcone, Harbinger Capital Partners Lightsquared.

Also Note Kirkland and Ellis LLP in involved in the TerreStar Bankruptcy and the DBSD Bankruptcy Right ?

Much More Coming on all these Connections, Conflicts of Interests.. Coming Soon.

Got a Whistleblower Tip ?
Crystal@CrystalCox.com






Kirkland and Ellis LLP, Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications,Motorola, Technology in Government, Public Safety Radio, Interoperability, Laura Phillips, Bay Area UASI, Commerce Department NTIA ,