Bush naming names in D.C.
Two GOP'ers, one Dem to face Senate confirmation
Commission, President Bush will nominate telecom exec Kathleen Abernathy and former FCC counsel Kevin Martin to serve as commissioners of the key regulatory agency. Bush also will nominate one Democrat, former congressional aide Michael Copps.
Names, announced Friday by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, will be forwarded to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.
There were no surprises for Washington insiders in the announcement, only relief that new FCC chair Michael Powell will no longer have a 2-2 split on the five-member commission. The stalemate occurred when former FCC commissioner William Kennard, a Democrat, resigned in January out of deference to the incoming Republican administration.
Bush quickly named Powell, already a commissioner, to be FCC topper.
Soon after, Republican commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth announced he would resign as soon as Bush named a replacement. Democratic commissioner Susan Ness likewise announced she too would leave. Both will have served out their scheduled terms.
Bush makes a move
Many had predicted that Bush wouldn't get around to announcing the new FCC team until this summer, as the new administration is scrambling to fill vacancies in larger agencies. Just last week, Powell himself said he had no clue as to when Bush would name his picks.
Nominations require the confirmation of the Senate Commerce Committee, where Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) share power.
"I am pleased that the president has moved forward today to announce his new FCC commissioner appointments," Powell said. "Each of the three nominees ... if confirmed by the Senate, will bring important experience and expertise to the commission, and I welcome the opportunity to carry out the responsibilities of the FCC with them."
Term limits
Martin, who will serve a full five-year term, worked as a deputy general counsel on the Bush campaign. Previously, he worked on Furchtgott-Roth's staff at the FCC. Abernathy, whose term would expire in June 2005, has worked for several telecom companies, including Broadband Technologies and U.S. West.
The two Republicans and one Democratic nomination reflect a bargain struck between the two parties. Copps is a former aide to Hollings. Once confirmed by the Senate, his FCC term would expire in June 2004.
Copps' Democratic colleague at the FCC will be commissioner Gloria Tristani.
