Federal Communications Commission FCC 17-176 STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN APPROVING IN PART AND DISSENTING IN PART Re: i-wireless, LLC, Order, EB-IHD-13-00010656 Waste, fraud, and abuse must not be tolerated in any of our Universal Service programs, which is why I will vote to approve these consent decrees. This company has repaid what it wrongfully claimed from USF and voluntarily agreed to remit to the Treasury several multiples of the harm done to the Fund. This investigation and its overall finding represent an efficient use of the Commission’s resources, and we eliminate uncertainty for these companies while strongly reinforcing our expectations of Lifeline providers. However, I am forced to also register a dissent in this case, because while I believe the Commission should have taken strong and decisive action, the Enforcement Bureau under this Chairman continues to show bias. It essentially gives hall passes to large, well-known corporations when wrongdoing is found, while it fines little-known small businesses and individuals substantial sums of money for harms which are often substantially narrower. When a company or an individual violates our rules, they should be punished, but that punishment should fit the offense. Any wrongdoing committed by a provider that has accepted an obligation to serve the public, should be fairly and consistently met with forfeitures and negotiated settlements that are more than a mere slap on the wrist. Large corporations simply view relatively meager fines as a mere nuisance expense. My wish for the season? That we stop this seemingly preferential trend that consistently benefits one class of provider, and that the Commission’s rules are vigorously and fairly enforced for all.