FCC chief hasn't lost focus on cable

FCC CHIEF HASN'T LOST FOCUS ON CABLE
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Paul Davidson]
If Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is smarting from bruising battles last year with fellow commissioners, Congress and the cable industry, he's showing no signs of it. Last November, commissioners of both political parties accused him of concealing key information that undercut his push for a finding that could have led to sweeping regulation of the cable TV industry. Following other complaints that Martin doesn't give commissioners enough time to vote on certain proposals, a House committee launched an investigation into whether the agency conducts its business openly and fairly. Generally known as a shrewd consensus-builder, Chairman Martin seems undaunted by the ruckus. And he still has the cable industry in his sights. In an interview, he said he's determined as ever to do something about soaring cable TV prices. And he says the agency doesn't need to pass new rules to crack down on Comcast if it determines the cable giant unfairly impedes Internet traffic. As for criticism about his communication style, Martin, whose tenure could be in its final months with a new president taking office next January, says he's not "doing anything differently than what any other chairman has done." On his agenda for the next year:
1) a la carte cable TV pricing,
2) Network Neutrality,
3) the transition to digital-only television broadcasting,
4) completing the recent spectrum auction, and
5) reforming the Universal Service Fund, which subsidizes phone service for rural customers and has jumped 33% in the past three years to $7.2 billion.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080311/fcc_martin.art.htm

* Significant FCC actions during Martin's tenure
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080311/martin_accomplishmen...

* FCC Chair warns ISPs against making "arbitrary distinctions"
[SOURCE: Ars Technica, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080310-fcc-chair-warns-isps-again...

* Rush Is On to Cement Regulations
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Williamson]
Industries from agriculture to power are pressing for the Bush administration to act on a slew of pending regulations, betting they will do worse no matter who wins the White House in the fall. As chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. McCain pushed the cable industry to allow consumers to pay for single channels rather than a package of services, and he fought with broadcasters to return valuable transmission spectrum so it could be used for police and fire departments.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120519968810526201.html?mod=todays_us_pa...
(requires subscription)