WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused the Federal Communications Commission of bowing to White House pressure on its "net neutrality" decision, which has angered the nation's cable and wireless giants. They said the agency's inspector general has opened an investigation into whether the FCC had violated any rules.
Samples of 1,600 pages of emails and other documents released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - while falling short of any blatant impropriety - raise questions about whether senior Obama aides went to unusual lengths to engage independent regulators on a popular issue, and if the FCC gave these aides too much access to internal deliberations while shutting out Congress.
"A president should be able to weigh in, make his opinions known. I don't have a problem with that. But this seems to be very one-sided," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Still, the political sparring on Capitol Hill was unlikely to affect the recent decision by the FCC to impose tough new regulations on Internet service providers.
Chaffetz said he had been told the FCC Inspector General's office launched an investigation into the agency's deliberations process on its net neutrality decision. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said he was not aware of any investigation, but said he would cooperate.
Jay Keithley, assistant IG for investigations at the FCC, said he could neither "confirm nor deny" any ongoing investigations.
An openly defiant Wheeler told the House committee that keeping the White House up to date on FCC dealings isn't unusual and he won't apologize for what he considers a transparent deliberations process.
"There were no secret instructions from the White House," Wheeler told the committee. "I did not, as CEO of an independent agency, feel obligated to follow the president's recommendation."
Much of the focus was on behind-the-scenes talks last year among lobbyists, agency staffers and White House aides as Wheeler struggled with how exactly to regulate Internet service. A court had knocked down the FCC's previous legal approach, which had prohibited cable and wireless companies from blocking or slowing Internet traffic. The idea is known as net neutrality because it suggests Internet service providers shouldn't discriminate against various web traffic.
On one hand were Internet activists who wanted regulators to treat the Internet much like the telephone, applying Title II of the 1934 Communications Act. This would require that companies act in the public's best interest and not employ unfair business practices.
Industry officials warned this approach would be much too drastic and could freeze infrastructure investments.
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