FCC Chief Still Standing, if on Shifting Ground

FCC CHIEF STILL STANDING, IF ON SHIFTING GROUND
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin's ongoing fight with Big Cable has left him bloodied but still standing, say FCC officials, industry executives and public interest groups, and he may now spend the remainder of his tenure with fewer allies. Chairman Martin has led the FCC since 2005. A Republican whose wife has worked in the White House, Martin could typically count on the support of the commission's other two Republicans while winning some battles with the commission's two Democrats. But that changed over several weeks leading to a late-night, particularly contentious Tuesday meeting, following a cable industry lobbying effort and dissent within the commission. The turning point came when Republican commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, Martin's most reliable ally on the commission, bucked the chairman, saying at the meeting that his proposal "focuses heavily on the findings of one source, rather than the numerous sources our reports have included in the past." Tate, who declined to be interviewed for this article, privately expressed outrage that she and other commissioners had to ask Martin for additional data on cable subscribers, according to a source close to her. Republican commissioner Robert McDowell also opposed Martin. Bruises are nothing new to Martin or FCC chairmen. He was blistered by Republicans over his handling of a wireless spectrum proposal last summer and during a battle over local phone deregulation several years ago. He has endured public scoldings by fellow commissioners Adelstein and Michael J. Copps, a Democrat. Likewise, firestorms over indecency fines and media ownership dogged previous FCC chair Michael K. Powell, as a controversy over unlicensed radio stations did William E. Kennard before him.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR200711...
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