Kevin Martin’s Pro-Market FCC

KEVIN MARTIN'S PRO-MARKET FCC
[SOURCE: National Review, AUTHOR: Cesar V. Conda & Lawrence J. Spiwak]
[Commentary] Some free-market advocates are grumbling that the Federal Communications Commission under Kevin J. Martin has not held true to conservative principles, in particular in regard to broadband technology. They are wrong. Martin’s tenure as chairman of the FCC has been characterized by a consistent pro-entry/pro-consumer-welfare mandate, the very hallmark of economic conservatism. Chairman Martin understands all too well that because telecommunications is a very expensive business and entry barriers remain high, responsible policy must provide an environment where firms have the incentive to invest and compete. For example, while Martin has adhered to the philosophy that there should be “competition first, then deregulation,” he also has recognized that legacy regulation (or regulations now on the books) can act as a barrier to effective competition and investment. For these reasons he has long espoused the notion that firms should be able to “invest their way out of regulation.” Unlike his ideological critics, Martin also recognizes that markets are sometimes imperfect, and thus has taken bold steps to stop anti-competitive or other entry-deterring behavior. Free-market advocates have raised legitimate concerns about recent FCC proposals that would set the auction rules for valuable spectrum and place new regulations on the cable industry. However, when the record is reviewed on the whole, there can be no doubt that the GOP-controlled FCC under Kevin Martin has been a positive force for investment in the telecommunications sector, acceleration of broadband deployment, and economic growth overall. If the Democrats win the White House in 2008 and take back control of the FCC, these very same free-market advocates will view Martin’s tenure in a more favorable light.
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