"Michael Powell completes his fourth year as chair of the FCC in December, and his tenure has not been a quiet one. He oversaw one of the most ferocious public policy battles in FCC history - the fight over media concentration - and he did not hesitate to run the indecency flag up massive-fines hill, hitting CBS for $550,000 and Fox for $1.2 million.
"He is the FCC head liberals love to hate, and is, in their eyes, one of George W. Bush's first (of many) mistakes.
"But to this liberal, there's something important and rare in Powell's legacy that deserves our respect. For in at least two critical domains of FCC policy, he has let the facts push ideology aside. When he was appointed, one media analyst warned, 'Beware the rhetorical flashes of brilliance; beneath that is someone who wants to let the market decide at the expense of consumers.' The 'let the market decide' part was no doubt correct; but liberals like me were too quick to assume 'at the expense of consumers.'"
Lawrence Lessig. Technology Over Ideology. Wired. Dec. 2004.
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Posted by Carol Schwartz at December 7, 2004 08:48 AM | Send to a friend! | Topic(s): Access, Politics