Intellectual Property Law

FCC's Martin Still Hates Cable

By Cynthia Brumfield

With all the drama over Comcast's network management practices, one fact has often been obscured: FCC Chairman Kevin Martin really doesn't like the cable industry. In case we've all forgotten, USA Today's Paul Davidson has this piece today entitled "FCC chief Martin hasn't lost focus on cable." Martin, who is apparently trying harder these days to vet issues among his fellow commissioners, still has hope for doing something to make cable a la carte service a reality before he leaves the FCC.

He also plans to take action on the P2P throttling issue sometime during Q2 08. What he doesn't plan to do is name a date certain for when he will decamp from the Commission, despite pressure by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for him to do so. Congress wants him out of the way to ensure that a newly elected Democratic president can put the Dems in control of the FCC.

As for cable, it will have to live with Martin's weird fixation on its failings for at least another nine months (I say weird because although cable isn't exactly subject to as much competition as is desirable, neither are the wireless or telephone industries, and Martin doesn't, well, hate their guts.)

Speaking at a Bear Stearns conference yesterday, Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis sounded resigned to Martin's enmity. "We have a very good relationship with the Commission. It's one member that we have a bad relationship with," he said. "We've never had this kind of relationship [with the FCC] that's been as difficult as it has been."

Full post as published by IP Democracy on March 11, 2008 (boomark / email).