New "White Paper" on the USDOT/Traffic.com Scandal
This week I put together a white paper that "connects the dots" in the ongoing Traffic.com scam. I originally wrote it for publication in the leading traffic/transportation magazine, but it ended up more than twice as long as the publication wants. So I created a "live" PDF version on the web that links to all of its citations (e.g., communication between Sen. Hatch and USDOT Secretary Peters, various articles that have appeared):
The U.S. TTID Program: When Politics, Competition and the Public Interest Collide
You'll notice in it that Senator Hatch has formally requested an investigation of this monopoly/scam, and that the USDOT Inspector General's office has confirmed to Sen. Hatch's staff that a comprehensive audit is underway. Let's hope that the IG -- who partially reports to USDOT Secretary Peters -- has sufficient integrity to do a detailed investigation and chooses not to sweep this scandal under the rug because of the clear involvement in it by USDOT top management (possibly including Ms. Peters).
I've been sending this white paper to key people in the ITS/transportation field, including consultants to the Federal Highway Administration, so I'm sure that both the USDOT and Traffic.com are aware of it. That's absolutely fine with me, since everything in it is truthful and factual. An abridged version of it will hopefully be published in that magazine within the next few weeks, too.
Frankly, with all the information that's now in the public domain about this scandal, I'm amazed that it's still going on. Hopefully, that situation will change soon.
One of the latest elements of this scandal is that USDOT General Counsel D.J. Gribbon has been sitting on a bunch of emails between the FHWA and Traffic.com for months now. They were promised to the Sunlight Foundation months ago in response to an earlier FOIA request. My guess is that these messages clearly implicate senior USDOT management in this monopoly/scam, which is why Mr. Gribbon is being an obstructionist (possibly at the direction of Ms. Peters). The Sunlight Foundation is now considering, if the USDOT doesn't comply soon, filing suit in the D.C. District Court to force the department's compliance.
Stay tuned, because the USDOT is now getting hammered from all sides (legislators, investigators, non-profit watchdog organizations, and the press). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this scam is going down.
Jerry
The U.S. TTID Program: When Politics, Competition and the Public Interest Collide
You'll notice in it that Senator Hatch has formally requested an investigation of this monopoly/scam, and that the USDOT Inspector General's office has confirmed to Sen. Hatch's staff that a comprehensive audit is underway. Let's hope that the IG -- who partially reports to USDOT Secretary Peters -- has sufficient integrity to do a detailed investigation and chooses not to sweep this scandal under the rug because of the clear involvement in it by USDOT top management (possibly including Ms. Peters).
I've been sending this white paper to key people in the ITS/transportation field, including consultants to the Federal Highway Administration, so I'm sure that both the USDOT and Traffic.com are aware of it. That's absolutely fine with me, since everything in it is truthful and factual. An abridged version of it will hopefully be published in that magazine within the next few weeks, too.
Frankly, with all the information that's now in the public domain about this scandal, I'm amazed that it's still going on. Hopefully, that situation will change soon.
One of the latest elements of this scandal is that USDOT General Counsel D.J. Gribbon has been sitting on a bunch of emails between the FHWA and Traffic.com for months now. They were promised to the Sunlight Foundation months ago in response to an earlier FOIA request. My guess is that these messages clearly implicate senior USDOT management in this monopoly/scam, which is why Mr. Gribbon is being an obstructionist (possibly at the direction of Ms. Peters). The Sunlight Foundation is now considering, if the USDOT doesn't comply soon, filing suit in the D.C. District Court to force the department's compliance.
Stay tuned, because the USDOT is now getting hammered from all sides (legislators, investigators, non-profit watchdog organizations, and the press). At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this scam is going down.
Jerry
posted by Jerry Werner | 10:13 AM
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