(1) The new appointments have been pending at the FCC for some time, but the White House finally got around to sending its nominations to the White House. Two seats have been empty for some time now (one truly empty and one filled by a guy who announced months ago he would retire next month.) The third seat, that of one-termer Rachelle Chong, also has been up for grabs ever since Congress announced at least three months ago that it would not support her reappointment, even tho she is a republican. No news there. We even knew who the candidates would be.
(2) Very few people, outside of the educational telecom arena, view REED Hundt as "esteemed." As a matter of fact, most segments of the industry have been highly critical of many of his decisions, especially in the implementation of the Telecom ACt. I don't think he'll be missed, which is why he is opting out of his arrangement a full year beofre his term expires.
