As you no doubt are aware, particularly if you’re one of the 800,000 federal government workers furloughed last week as the GOP Congress and Democratic White House tried to prove their political manhood, there’s bad CARMA in the nation’s capital.
Energy Secretary Hazel O’Leary got a slap on the wrist from the Clinton administration for hiring CARMA International to rate reporters who cover her agency. But let’s not point fingers. It appears lots of folks find the service useful to shape spin. Bob Ratliffe, the McCaw-turned-AT&T Corp. wireless spokesman, was quoted as calling it “a tool for our field organizations.”
There’s more bad vibes. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., is miffed at President Clinton for not talking to him on Air Force One on the flight to Israel and back following the funeral of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His feelings were hurt, too, for having to exit off the back of the plane.
Gingrich probably doesn’t feel good either about the latest ethics complaint against him, charging the speaker with letting Wisconsin businessman Donald Jones influence telecommunications reform legislation as an unpaid volunteer.
“Newt’s Nightmare” is Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s title for the budget mess.
…GOP presidential candidate Steve flat-tax Forbes’ cutting-edge portfolio is reported to include holdings of $250,000 to $500,000 in Telefonos de Mexico and $50,000 to $100,000 in Peco Energy Co., a major investor in North American Wireless Inc.
…The Clinton administration is expected soon to release a lightly critical analysis of the A- and B-block PCS auction. The report has been delayed in part because of concerns by government lawyers that losers in the $7 billion auction could use the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s findings to challenge the results.
…The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ executive committee adopted a resolution at last week’s annual convention in New Orleans that Congress should earmark excess auction proceeds to fund advance telecommunications projects for schools and libraries.
The California state legislature recently suggested the same idea to Congress.
…The Washington Legal Foundation is seeking the disqualification of FCC Chairman Reed Hundt from the 220 MHz auction. The non-profit group said Hundt “is so biased in these proceedings in favor of competitive bidding that he has an unalterably closed mind on the subject.”
…The FCC was scheduled to take action at its open meeting today on antenna regulation reform and on market entry and oversight of foreign carriers seeking to offer telecommunications services in the United States.
…The budget crisis forced President Clinton to send Vice President Gore in his place to this past weekend’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Osaka and follow-up trip to Tokyo that wraps up tomorrow.
…The FBI has extended until Jan. 16 the comment date on a proceeding to assess capacity requirements from wireless and wireline common carriers needed to implement 1994 digital wiretap legislation.
