ABSTRACT
The resignation of Michael Powell as chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2005 gave some of the agency’s harshest critics hope that a new agenda might re-emerge and lessen government attention to content issues, focusing again on emerging technology. While it appears that new technology will continue to attract attention, concerns over content will likely go unabated as the public expresses continuing interest in “decency” and “values” in what is being programmed.
President George W. Bush appointed Kevin Martin to replace Michael Powell as chair of the FCC in March 2005. A conservative like the President, Martin was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. During his undergraduate career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was student government president. He had worked as a lawyer for the Bush 2000 presidential campaign and later as a special assistant for economic issues. His wife, Catherine, was an economic advisor to the White House-first as advisor to Vice President Cheney, then as advisor to the President. Martin has served as a member of the FCC since 2001, entering office as someone regarded as a soft-spoken but thoughtful person.1
