ABSTRACT
When chairman W.J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-La.) of the U.S. House Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee banged the gavel to begin oversight hearings on March 17, 1999, those in attendance knew that this was not to be a typical congressional session. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, William E. Kennard, was sitting quietly at the witness table, along with his four fellow commissioners from the independent regulatory agency created by Congress in 1934 to regulate broadcasting and telecommunications. They knew that their appearance might be characterized as a trip to the woodshed.
