TIME TO RETOOL THE FCC FOR THE PUBLIC'S INTERESTS [Commentary] Millions will be watching closely as a post-Powell FCC once again takes up the hot potato of media-ownership regulation, alongside a bevy of other issues affecting cable, telephone, satellite and wireless Internet, as well as traditional broadcasting technologies. How the FCC will approach these issues over the next year will depend on the makeup of the post-Powell commission. And changes are coming; by year's end, the FCC could have not one but two, or even three, new commissioners. President Bush is likely to elevate former aide and current FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin to chairman. Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy is rumored to be leaving the FCC soon and Commissioner Michael Copps' five-year term expires in May, requiring the president either to reappoint him -- the normal course of action for a sitting commissioner -- or not. No matter how the leadership changes, Lawson offers these recommendations for upholding public-interest standards at the FCC: 1) devoting more resources to considering broadcast-license renewals, holding radio and television stations accountable to public-interest standards in return for their free use of the airwaves; 2) defining the public interest obligations of digital broadcasters; 3) improving the standing of low power radio stations; and 4) returning to the drawing board of media-ownership regulation. [SOURCE: Seattle Times, AUTHOR: Jonathan Lawson] http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002192882_lawson01.html
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