FCC Nomination Seen
President Bush is expected to nominate telecommunications lawyer Robert McDowell to be the third Republican on the five-member Federal Communications Commission, three sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
McDowell is senior vice president and assistant general counsel at Comptel, a lobbying group for companies that primarily compete against big telephone carriers such as AT&T; Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.
Bush has already signed off on McDowell’s appointment to the agency that regulates and oversees the telecommunications and media industries, according to one source with knowledge of the decision.
If nominated, McDowell would require Senate confirmation. Another source suggested that the nomination might not come until next month.
“We don’t speculate on personnel announcements,” White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said. McDowell did not respond to a request for comment.
The FCC has been deadlocked with two Republicans and two Democrats since March. Briefly in December, Democrats outnumbered Republicans because of delays naming replacements to two open seats.
The agency has a full agenda for the year, including a review of whether local authorities are slowing attempts by AT&T; and Verizon to enter the video market. The FCC also is expected to begin rewriting rules that limit media ownership.
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