Ajit Pai Warned Lying to Congress is Bad

Joshua Stager was quoted in Gizmodo about the statute of limitations surrounding growing concerns that FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, may have lied during a contentious oversight hearing.

If the target of an investigation is amenable, the statute of limitations can be waived, or at least extended. A tolling agreement, as it’s called, would permit the commission to further consider evidence or conduct negotiations. But no one can say whether there’s one of those in place.

"It’s not clear when the statute of limitations runs out," said Joshua Stager, senior policy counsel at Open Technology Institute. "The conduct may have continued beyond May 2018. Moreover, the FCC may have found a way to toll the statute of limitations."

Added Stager: "None of this diminishes the urgency of resolving the investigation. The government’s laissez-faire attitude toward geolocation data is putting lives at risk. This issue has grown from shady stalking apps five years ago to a full-blown ‘pay-to-track’ industry today. Domestic violence shelters have been raising alarms about this for years. The FCC needs to act, and Pai needs to step up and lead."