FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON
OFFICE OF
THE CHAIRMAN
July 10,2015
The Honorable Roger F. Wicker
United States Senate
555 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Wicker:
Thank you for your letter regarding the Federal Communications Commission's reconsideration
of its recent Memorandum Opinion and Order (Order) regarding Maritime Communications/Land Mobile,
LLC (MCLM).
MCLM was granted a 25 percent small business bidding credit as part of Auction No. 61.
Auction 61 assigned Automated Maritime Telecommunications Service spectrum, which is used to meet
the communications needs of vessels on inland waterways and also may be used to provide private radio
service on land. After the bidding credit was awarded, however, evidence came to our attention that the
company may have intentionally misrepresented its financial status in order to obtain those bidding
credits. After reviewing the evidence, the Commission concluded that a hearing should be held to
determine whether MCLM had misrepresented its bidding credit eligibility and, in light of that and other
issues, whether MCLM was qualified to be and remain a Commission licensee.
The Commission is obligated to ensure that spectrum assignments occur in a manner consistent
with the public interest and has a longstanding policy that generally prohibits a suspected wrongdoer from
assigning licenses before a determination has been made about its qualification to hold the licenses. The
Commission concluded in the Order that the record in this matter did not demonstrate grounds for
granting MCLM relief from its general policy. As a consequence of the Order, a hearing into the basic
license qualifications of MCLM continues. Because this proceeding is restricted under the Commission's
ex parte rules (47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1200(a), 1.1208.), I am unable to discuss the merits of this case.
The Commission's consideration of numerous Petitions for Reconsideration of the Order is still in
process at this time.