Nebraska AG Absolves PSC Official Who Consults for Telcos
Nebraska Public Service Commission Executive Director Jeff Pursley didn’t violate his oath by continuing to consult part-time for telecom companies, Nebraska Attorney General Douglas Peterson said in a Monday opinion. Pursley started a five-year term as PSC executive director July…
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1, 2015, after working as a director of consultant Parrish, Blessing and Associates (PB&A). After joining the PSC, Pursley kept a part-time role focused on federal telephone compliance for three carriers outside PSC jurisdiction: Alaska Communications Systems, Puerto Rico Telephone and Virgin Island Telephone, the AG opinion said. Windstream is a PB&A client subject to PSC regulation, but Pursley doesn’t do any work for it, the AG said. Pursley developed a model to automate population of federal forms and supporting documents for price-cap regulated carriers; he's developing a similar model for rate-of-return carriers, the opinion said. "Mr. Pursley's relationship with PB&A does not, in our view, result in his having an ownership or financial interest that constitutes an 'indirect interest' in any common carrier prohibited by his oath of office,” Peterson wrote. “Services provided by Mr. Pursley for PB&A create no conflict of interest, as they do not involve any work performed for any carrier regulated by the Commission. Nor does Mr. Pursley's work for PB&A create a business or financial interest in a common carrier regulated by the Commission.” The PSC “is pleased the AG’s Opinion found that Director Pursley did not violate his oath of office,” a spokeswoman emailed Tuesday.