A Farewell to Commissioner McDowell and a Nod to the "Rational Regulator"

[Commentary] While in the works for a while, today's formal announcement by Federal Communications Commissioner member Robert McDowell that he will be departing the FCC leaves a hole in the FCC's ranks that will be difficult to fill.

In many regards, Commissioner McDowell was a throwback to an earlier time, both at the FCC and in Washington, in that his tenure was distinguished not just by his congenial nature, but by an abiding adherence to his regulatory principles, rather than to reaching a particular result. While I suspect he might bristle at being described as a "rational regulator," preferring instead to be known as a "devoted deregulator," Commissioner McDowell represented a common-sense approach to the communications industry and the business of regulating it.