Michael Powell, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, announced Friday that he plans to step down from his position in March. James Baughman, UW-Madison School of Journalism director, said Powell's resignation is not surprising.
\Since he became chair he's made no secret of the fact that he planned to step down. Most chairs of the FCC don't stay on very long,"" he said.
Powell was appointed to the FCC in 1997 under the Clinton administration, and became chairman with the 2000 election of President Bush.
Powell's administration at the FCC took powerful strides in the deregulation of broadcasting, advancement of wireless technology and attacking indecency on America's airwaves.
UW-Madison Journalism Professor James Hoyt said the FCC's recent choices gave more power to the large media conglomerates.
""During this administration the FCC has continued its move towards the deregulation of broadcasting by giving the owners a far longer leash to operate the airwaves,"" he said.
The deregulation of broadcasting was first seen in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when large corporations began to control many parts of the broadcasting industry.
This corporate domination is unlikely to change with the appointment of a new chairman, Hoyt said.
""The President has been pleased with the direction things have gone, so I don't think there will be many changes,"" Hoyt said.
Professor Baughman agreed.
""Some Republicans are unhappy about the commission, that Powell was too much an advocate of the public marketplace and not of the public interest. I don't know if the Bush administration will care about that,"" Baughman said.
A likely successor for Powell is Kevin J. Martin, a Republican member of the FCC. Other possible replacements are FCC members Republican Kathleen Abernathy and Democrats Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein.
UW-Madison Journalism Professor Robert Drechsel said Powell leaves behind a powerful legacy with his resignation.
""I think he was a particularly visible FCC Chair. He will go down as a chair who pushed as strongly as he possibly could for deregulation in the sense of letting the marketplace determine the public interest rather than government regulation,"" he said.
Professor Hoyt said that until there is a new presidential administration there are unlikely to be any revolutionary changes in the FCC in favor of public interest.
