WASHINGTON—Evoking visions of the Battle of Yorktown, Robert McDowell appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday afternoon hoping to be confirmed as a member of the Federal Communications Commission.
“This coming Oct. 19, in Virginia, we will commemorate the 225th anniversary of the American’s victory over the British at Yorktown. This battle effectively ended the war where a rag-tag band of freedom fighters defeated the largest superpower in the world. On that crisp autumn day, as the vanquished British troops withdrew from the battlefield, they marched to the tune of ‘The World Turned Upside Down,’” McDowell told the lawmakers. “At the heart of the ideals of the fledgling United States was a profound commitment to the freedom of speech—the freedom to communicate. No agency has more of an effect on the preservation and promotion of this freedom than the FCC. If confirmed, I solemnly pledge to be true to those founding principles—to work tirelessly to promote free markets and the free expression of ideas.”
In a hearing lasting less than 20 minutes, McDowell was praised by the only Democratic member of the committee to appear.
“The president has sent us a solid nomination. I think the president has made a good choice,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.). “I am very pleased we are going to finally have a full commission with five members.”
FCC members serve five-year terms and are selected from both political parties. Three members, including the chairman, come from the president’s political party, while the remaining two come from the opposite party. The president nominates people, and the Senate confirms the nominees after hearings.
McDowell is currently senior vice president and general counsel at CompTel. As such, he was questioned on whether he can remain impartial. He said he could.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, asked about McDowell’s commitment to rural America.
“Keeping rural America connected is front and center for the McDowells,” said the nominee, noting his father grew up on a ranch on the Texas-Mexico border without a telephone.
FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein (D) appeared in support of McDowell. McDowell said communications issues rarely are partisan. “There is not a partisan gigabyte. There is not a partisan megahertz,” he said.
Stevens hopes to pass McDowell’s nomination onto the full Senate March 16.
