WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is losing its most conservative member, although Harold Furchtgott-Roth does not expect his departure to leave the the newly named GOP chairman of the agency outnumbered by Democrats on the commission.
Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth said Wednesday it was time for him to join the private sector.
“There comes a time when every free-market advocate in government must fulfill his dream by returning to the private sector. For me, that time has arrived. Therefore I have decided not to seek reappointment,” said Furchtgott-Roth.
Furchtgott-Roth easily is the most conservative member of the commission and the only other Republican at the agency besides Chairman Michael Powell. Furchtgott-Roth’s term expired last June. Rather than seek reappointment, he said he expects to work with the Bush administration to find a mutually agreeable time for his departure. This means the Bush administration has two immediate open Republican seats and a Democratic seat opening up in the fall. Traditionally, the president’s party holds a majority. Former FCC Chairman Bill Kennard’s resignation last month opens his seat for a Republican.
An aide to Powell and Furchtgott-Roth’s senior legal adviser said they do not expect Furchtgott-Roth to leave before a Republican is confirmed by the Senate. Such a situation would leave a 2-1 majority in favor of the Democrats.
“It is unlikely we would have too large a gap” between Furchtgott-Roth and his replacement, said Bryan Tramont, Furchtgott-Roth’s advisor.
A top congressional policy maker praised Furchtgott-Roth. “Harold Furchtgott-Roth is going to be greatly missed at the FCC. His quiet dignity and professionalism were only overshadowed by his complete knowledge of telecommunications issues,” said Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), chairman of the House Commerce Committee.
Furchtgott-Roth told RCR Wireless News he expects to first go to a think tank to write a book on telecommunications policy. Although his wife, Dianne, is affiliated with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, he said he has not contacted any think tanks. He added he will not begin hunting for a job with a for-profit company until he has left the commission to avoid any conflicts of interest.
Often dissenting when he felt the FCC strayed from its statutory mandate, Furchtgott-Roth said his was an effective strategy and also a successful one, commenting that sometimes the courts noted his dissents-either explicitly or implicitly-when overturning rules that went beyond the law.
