In a scathing report released Tuesday, congressional investigators outlined a pattern of mismanagement, dysfunction and abuse of power at the Federal Communications Commission under the agency’s Republican chairman, Kevin Martin.
The report — the result of a nearly yearlong, bipartisan investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee — accuses Martin of manipulating data and suppressing information to influence telecommunications policy debates at the agency and on Capitol Hill.
The report charges that the commission has become politicized and failed to carry out some important responsibilities under Martin’s leadership. It also blames him for undermining an open and transparent regulatory process.