WASHINGTON-Evoking visions of the Battle of Yorktown, Robert McDowell appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday hoping to be confirmed as a member of the Federal Communications Commission. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he hopes to pass the nomination to the full Senate March 16.
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.).
FCC members serve five-year terms and are selected from both political parties. The commission has not had five members since last year when former chairman Michael Powell left the agency.
McDowell is senior vice president and general counsel at CompTel, a trade association representing carriers attempting to compete in the telecommunications industry increasingly dominated by large incumbent players. As such, he was questioned on whether he can remain impartial. He said he could.
“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,” 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.”
Stevens questioned 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.
