President taps Kevin J. Martin to head FCC
President George W. Bush this week announced his intention to designate
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin to chair the FCC.
He'll replace Michael K. Powell, who stepped down this month.
Martin, 38, a North Carolina attorney with close White House ties, has
served on the FCC since 2001.
In congratulating Martin on his appointment, ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ,
also took the opportunity to refresh Martin's memory regarding Amateur
Radio's stake in the broadband over power line (BPL) issue.
Last July, Sumner and ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, met with
Martin and aide Sam Feder to discuss their fears about radio interference
from BPL systems. When the FCC unanimously adopted new BPL rules last
October, Martin acknowledged Amateur Radio's concerns, said he would take
them seriously, and expressed confidence that the Commission would take
the necessary steps to address interference.
"Unfortunately, I must advise you that the Commission's record of
addressing BPL interference has proved to be woefully inadequate,"
Sumner continued, citing continued BPL interference complaints. "To
date the Commission has
not ordered a single BPL system to be shut down, despite the failure of
BPL system operators to resolve interference," Sumner pointed out.
This week, the League renewed its complaint of ongoing BPL interference
in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and filed a complaint with the Enforcement
Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology outlining an ongoing
BPL
interference case in Irving, Texas (see below).
"The ARRL and the nation's radio amateurs are anxious for a sign
that we can expect this sorry situation to be corrected under your leadership,"
Sumner concluded. Since he already sits on the FCC, Martin's appointment
will not require US Senate confirmation.
Considered the front-runner for the job, Martin said he was "deeply
honored" to be tapped as the next FCC chairman. While Martin and
Powell reportedly clashed over telephone deregulation and media ownership
issues, they essentially were on the same page regarding the promotion
of BPL. News accounts say that Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy, a Republican
and a BPL booster, is also planning to leave the FCC. Abernathy's now-notorious
"broadband Nirvana" remarks about BPL drew sharp opposition
from the amateur community.
BPL manufacturer Ambient Corporation promptly issued a news release hailing
the appointment of Martin as "a vocal proponent" of BPL systems
and citing segments of Martin's laudatory comments about the technology
following the
FCC's October 14, 2004, adoption of new BPL rules.
Sumner pointed out to Ambient, however, that its news release ignored
some of Martin's other comments in his statement last fall, in which the
commissioner acknowledged Amateur Radio operators' and broadcasters' interference
worries and concluded, "I am confident that the Commission will continue
to monitor these concerns and will take steps, where needed, to address
interference problems going forward."
Sumner reminded Ambient that the League "already has called on Commissioner
Martin to do exactly that."
Attending his 90th FCC meeting and his last as chairman, Powell said
good-bye to his Commission colleagues March 10. "I've loved it! Every
single day of it," he proclaimed, his voice beginning to crack. "It
will be the greatest memory of my life."
Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The
American Radio Relay League
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