MCDOWELL TO GIVE MARTIN 3RD CRITICAL VOTE ON STALLED ORDERS

摘要

The addition of Robert McDowell as a 3rd Republican member of the FCC is likely to tip the balance on several politically charged issues now stalled at the Commission. But it doesn抰 mean Chmn. Kevin Martin won抰 keep negotiating with Democrats on lesser matters, we抮e told. Martin will move within months on key items on which he needs an extra vote but over which he has been unable or unwilling to negotiate with Democrats. Industry has been waiting for McDowell to take his seat in hopes of seeing action on universal service fund reform as well as a number of stalled TV issues such as a possible loosening of media ownership rules. McDowell, who represented competitive carriers in their battles with the Bells, could have more empathy for the telecom's smaller players, industry veterans speculated. Outside the wireline arena, he抯 not well known.nnFilling the empty seat means Comrs. Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein will be less well positioned to win concessions on major orders, a Commission source said. 揂s we saw with AT&T-SBC and Verizon-MCI mergers, the minority commissioners were able to get pretty significant conditions,?the source said: 揥here you'll see the potential for 3-2 votes are really big industry-reshaping type orders.?At the same time, the source said, Martin likely will work at obtaining consensus on many other orders. 揟here's almost as much pressure to not have a lot of 3-2s as there is to get things through now,?the source said: 揟hat is something nobody wants.?/font>