Michael Copps, one of the FCC's three remaining commissioners, is generally considered a good guy by advocates of an open, expanding Internet. His 2006 editorial," America's Internet Disconnect," for the Washington Post blamed the United States' embarrassing 15th-place spot among the world's list of most-wired countries on telecom mergers, some of which left homes and offices with only one available ISP. "How have we fallen so far behind? Through lack of competition," Copps wrote. More recently, Copps pushed for real-world tests in small markets of next month's mandatory cutover from analog TV broadcasts to digital-only DTV.
The FCC's previous chair, Republican Kevin Martin, resigned as expected on President Obama's inauguration day. Copps will act as temporary chairman until Obama appoints a full-time replacement for Martin. The Wall Street Journal reports that Obama's campaign technology adviser, Julius Genachowski, is rumored to be the top candidate. The other two commissioners are Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, and Republican Robert McDowell. The President will also appoint one more commissioner, bringing the total to five. Likely candidates, according to PaidContent.org, include former FCC counsel for new technology Kevin Werbach, and former ICANN board member Susan Crawford.
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