FCC Says Ethics Officials Believed Employees “In Compliance” after Watchdog Reports on Staff Owning Stock in Comcast, Charter, AT&T, and Verizon

[Peter_Brosdahl]

Last week the nonprofit watchdog group Campaign Legal Center sent a letter to the FCC reporting on staff owning stocks in Comcast, Charter Communications, AT&T, and Verizon. The nonprofit's complaint, which was sent to FCC Acting Inspector General Sharon Diskin, states that "Federal law specifically bans FCC employees from owning 'any stocks, bonds, or other securities of [any company] significantly regulated by the Commission," and that "Despite this ban, the most recent financial disclosures publicly available show that ethics officials allowed multiple FCC employees to own stock in telecommunications and other companies that appear to fall under the prohibition." The FCC says that ethics officials believed employee investments complied with the rules per a statement obtained from the WSJ.

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