Quello takes FCC reins for interim
Appointment of the 78-year-old Democrat had been expected forweeks. The FCC had been rudderless following the resignation of Republican chairman Al Sikes Jan. 19, and there have been no indications that Clinton plans to name a permanent chairman anytime soon.
Quello takes the reins of an understaffed agency facing a myriad of critical decisions due within several months. By April, the FCC is required to re-craft new financial interest and syndication rules that were thrown out of court last November, and to write rules that carry out the new cable TV reregulation law.
Only three of the five commissioners will be voting on the fin-syn and cable regs, assuming that no permanent chairman is named by April. That's because commissioner Sherrie Marshall -- whose Republican seat is up for grabs at the FCC -- has recused herself from voting on all broadcast TV and cable matters while she pursues job prospects in the private sector.
Quello's appointment may cause heartburn among Hollywood's fin-syn backers, since he voted with Sikes in 1991 to eliminate the rules entirely. However, Quello has sent signals recently that he may be willing to soften his stance.
Even if Quello maintains a tough anti-fin-syn position, Hollywood is counting on commissioners Andrew Barrett and Ervin Duggan to reiterate their fin-syn support and provide a 2-1 vote for the regs.
The interim chairmanship caps Quello's lengthy FCC career, which began after President Nixon nominated him to the post in 1974. Prior to joining the FCC, Quello was a Detroit broadcaster and vice president for Capital Cities Broadcasting. Before that, Quello was a stringer in Variety's Detroit bureau.
Quello is currently serving his fourth term at the FCC, having been reappointed twice by President Reagan and once by President Bush. His current term expires in June 1996, and he has said he will not seek renomination.
