NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12
th
Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
July 14, 2014 Neil Grace, 202-418-0506
E-mail: neil.grace@fcc.gov
FCC CHAIRMAN WHEELER ANNOUNCES 
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND STRIKE FORCE
Dedicated to Combatting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Washington, D.C. – FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced the creation of a Universal Service Fund 
(USF) Strike Force—housed in the agency’s Enforcement Bureau—dedicated to combatting waste, fraud, 
and abuse in Commission funding programs.  The USF Strike Force will be led by Loyaan Egal, who 
joins the FCC after serving as a senior Assistant United States Attorney in the Fraud and Public 
Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  
“The Commission is committed to aggressively rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Chairman 
Wheeler.  “The USF Strike Force expands the Commission’s activities, including those of the FCC Office 
of Inspector General, to protect the integrity of the Universal Service Fund and ensure that the American 
people’s money is wisely spent.”
Travis LeBlanc, Acting Chief of the Enforcement Bureau, said “The USF Strike Force is a force 
multiplier for the FCC’s efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse. Loyaan Egal is an experienced public 
corruption and fraud prosecutor who will lead the Enforcement Bureau’s augmented efforts to police the 
integrity of USF programs and funds.  The Bureau appreciates the work of the Inspector General and 
looks forward to coordinating with that office.”
The USF Strike Force—which boosts the Bureau’s existing enforcement operations—will focus on 
safeguarding the Universal Service Fund and the other funding programs the FCC oversees.  The Strike 
Force will investigate violations of the Communications Act, the Commission’s rules, and other laws 
bearing on USF programs and contributions. In addition to leading the FCC’s enforcement activities in 
these areas, the Strike Force will coordinate with the FCC’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the U.S. 
Department of Justice, and other law enforcement agencies to prosecute unlawful conduct.  The Strike 
Force’s investigations and activities will promote future compliance, protect those who depend on the 
funds for access, and safeguard contributors to the funds from the unlawful acts of others.
The FCC established the USF in 1997 to fulfill the universal service mandates contained in the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996.  All providers of telecommunications service contribute to the Fund 
based on their interstate end user revenues.  These contributions support four separate universal service 
programs:  (1) Lifeline (discounted service for low-income consumers); (2) E-rate (discounted service and 
internet access for schools and libraries); (3) the Connect America Fund / High-Cost Program (supporting 
service in rural and other high-cost areas); and (4) Rural Health Care.  In 2012, aggregate USF 
disbursements exceeded $8.7 billion.  
Mr. Egal served for nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Offices for the
Southern District of New York and District of Columbia.  While in the Southern District of New York, 
Mr. Egal led complex investigations and successfully prosecuted cases involving international narcotics 
trafficking and money laundering, bribery and procurement fraud in connection with the U.S. military’s 
presence in Iraq, and campaign finance fraud concerning the City of New York’s public matching 
campaign funds program.  While in the District of Columbia, Mr. Egal served as a lead prosecutor in an 
investigation that resulted in the successful prosecution of several individuals for campaign finance and 
tax fraud related to a scheme to influence federal, state, and local elections through illegal and unreported 
financial contributions. Mr. Egal clerked for the Hon. Alia Moses on the United States District Court for 
the Western District of Texas.  He is a graduate of St. John’s University and Howard University School of 
Law, where he was managing editor of the Howard Law Journal.   
Mr. Egal will serve as Director of the USF Strike Force.  He will report to Enforcement Bureau Acting 
Chief Travis LeBlanc. While still in its foundational stage, the Strike Force will continue to grow to 
include experienced prosecutors, investigators, and forensic analysts.  The launch of the Strike Force 
follows the Enforcement Bureau’s announcement last week that Katherine Winfree, Chief Deputy 
Attorney General of Maryland, has joined the Bureau as Chief of Staff.
The Enforcement Bureau is the FCC’s largest bureau and the primary organizational unit responsible for 
enforcement of the Communications Act and other communications statutes, the Commission’s rules, 
Commission orders, and the terms and conditions of FCC authorizations.  The Bureau particularly focuses
on competition, consumer protection, communications funding programs, and public safety. The Strike 
Force will augment, but be separate from, the efforts of OIG.  
-FCC-