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FCC Chairman Powell to resign

Quote:

By Ted Bridis
Associated Press Writer
Friday, January 21, 2005; 10:56 AM

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell plans to step down from the job he's held for four years, two agency officials said Friday.

Powell, who maintained a light regulatory hand as the nation's chief media watchdog but collected some of the largest indecency fines against U.S. broadcasters, planned to issue a statement Friday but was not expected to hold a formal news conference, these officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Powell, the son of departing Secretary of State Colin Powell, does not plan to step down immediately, the officials said. However, he will leave soon.

Powell privately informed some industry officials that he planned to make the announcement, according to one person who spoke with the chairman earlier this week. This person also spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for the timing of Powell's announcement.

Powell, a champion of deregulation who critics say is too pro-big business, rose from commissioner to chairman when Bush took office in 2001. His term was to run until 2007.

While tackling complex issue ranging from telephone competition to rules for media ownership, Powell is perhaps best known for overseeing a dramatic crackdown on broadcast indecency that began before the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during singer Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime performance last February.

The FCC received more than 1 million indecency complaints in 2004, most of them involving Jackson. CBS is contesting a proposed FCC fine of $550,000 for the incident.

Fines for indecent programming exceeded $7.7 million last year, a huge increase from the $48,000 imposed the year before Powell became chairman. Powell has praised the record fines, saying the commission was "wielding our sword" to protect children and viewers who object to racy programming.

"It's the most uncomfortable area you'd ever want to work in, enforcement," Powell said of indecency fines at a July 2004 symposium. "I'm a big believer in the First Amendment, but often I'm incredibly uneasy about lines we have to draw. No one takes pleasure in trying to decide whether this potty-mouth word or that potty-mouth word is a violation of the law."

However, critics claimed Powell and the FCC are seeking to stifle free speech and intimidate broadcasters into following a more conservative agenda.

Powell succeeded in getting the Republican-dominated FCC to ease decades-old rules governing ownership of newspapers and television and radio stations. The commission approved changes in 2003 that allow individual companies to own TV stations reaching nearly half the nation's viewers and combinations of newspapers and broadcast outlets in the same community.

Major media companies said the changes were needed because the old regulations hindered their ability to grow and compete in a market altered by cable television, satellite broadcasting and the Internet.

But lawmakers from both parties and a broad range of groups criticized the changes, saying the FCC regulations give large media companies too much control over what people see, hear and read.

Congress and the courts are considering several efforts to modify or repeal the rules.

All I can say here is I'm glad he's resigning. As much as I support Bush, Michael Powell is someone who's policies I don't support.

I don't have an issue per se with his increased fining... broadcasters need to be kept in check by someone. The issues I have with the FCC is that they have allowed a dramatic increase in ownership concentration.

I don't think the departure of Powell is going to make any difference in this matter.

Yep. Powell has been a disaster for media and infrastructure competition, but it could get worse. Who's keeping track of replacement candidates?

Howard Stern has gotta be dancing a jig right about now. As i've said in other threads here, i don't think this commision should be in existance at all. Powell leaving is good on many levels.

He was way too strict on censoring programing, finally we will get better programing over the air.

The fact that so many stations were too scared to play Saving Private Ryan speaks volumes about how strict it has gotten. The thing is even if you were to call them up and ask them if you could play a movie or commercial they could not and would not tell you. You could ask to play a smurfs episode and they couldnt tell you if it was going to get a fine or not. They have no rules to go by whatsoever. They wait for people to complain, then they "investigate" to see if it really is something they "deem" "offensive." There is no consistency with their rulings. Their ruling have been, and continue to be, very bias, and their fines have gotten outrageously large.

Powell has been almost entirely a friend of business. He had little choice but to respond to the massive political pressure about enforcing broadcast standards. I doubt that'll change with his replacement. (The Private Ryan fiasco was no more than an organized rebellion to drum up public support against enforcement.)

More important to me is their stance on competition: opening up opportunities or cementing media and telecom into expensive and boring duopolies. The timing of Powell's actions on infrastructure & competition development will be an expensive legacy for all of us. (in the U.S.)

Mr. Powell's belief that the internet should be regulated by the FCC is far too dangerous. Good ridence to bad rubish in my opinion.
It scares me that he believed so truly in the power of his board to decide decency for everyone.
My understanding is that he was always angry that he was not able to direct decency on cable channels as well.