FCC Nominees Approved As Senate Leaves For Year

[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
A deal brokered by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) paved the way for the unanimous approval of two nominees to the FCC, one a Republican, the other a Democrat. But a related effort to move legislation dealing with emergency 911 service for Internet telephone users fell short as the Senate pushed to wrap up its business for the year. Congressional and lobbying sources said that the FCC nominations had stalled because of a hold placed by Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), who wanted to force Senate action on an emergency 911 bill. There was no immediate comment from Sununu’s office. Republican Deborah Tate, a director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, was confirmed to serve the remainder of the term vacated earlier this year by former FCC Chairman Michael Powell; Tate’s term will be up at the end of June 2007. Meanwhile, Democrat Michael Copps was confirmed for a second term on the FCC, and will now serve through June 2010. With Tate’s confirmation and Copps receiving a second term, the FCC now has two Republicans and two Democrats; President Bush has yet to name a nominee for the fifth seat, which will be filled by a Republican.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-YVFC1135286908848.html

* Senate confirms two for FCC slots
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID...

* Commissioner Copps' website
http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/copps/

* Statement from NAB
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/pressrel/statements/122205_FCC_Copps_Tate.htm