Late night with Kevin Martin

At this point, it’s shamefully laughable. It’s past the confusion, frustration and anger endured by journalists, lobbyists, lawyers or anybody else who ever ventured a view of a Federal Communications Commission meeting under Chairman Kevin Martin. The bizarre, chaotic delays associated with Martin open meetings are unprecedented in FCC lore and have become legend. Though perhaps not undue process within the realm of the Administrative Procedures Act, but what a whacky way to run a government agency.
Whatever symbolic poignancy the FCC intended by approving two public-safety wireless items on the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was diminished, if not lost altogether, by the time the commission collected itself for votes and lofty statements hours before the somber dayof remembrance ended. It’s not the first time the Martin FCC has made the start of a public meeting as dreadfully suspenseful as the subject matter instantly before the august regulatory body. And it probably will not be the last time.
So what gives?
Is the meeting melodrama a manifestation of Martin’s management style, described by insiders-but actually an open secret-as secretive, tight-lipped decision-making choreographed and controlled by a small inner circle. A word frequently associated with Martin’s style is fear, fear of retribution for actions or statements, past or present. How odd, for Martin’s public persona-at least the one on display for reporters-is characterized by a seemingly unassuming, soft-spoken manner sometimes sparkled with wit and humor. Is Attila the Hun really behind those glasses and boyish Southern charm? Martin never appears completely at ease in the ranks of reporters who swarm him after meetings and speeches. He gives few interviews (not that this column will help). Some observers chalk it up to insecurity.
Why does Martin seem to lose control of major telecom proceedings? Is he simply being muscled by Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein? It should matter little; Martin has a GOP majority. One journalist suggested dysfunctional FCC meetings are part of the plan, Martin’s strategy of waiting until the 11th hour to begin serious negotiations with intransigent colleagues. Perhaps the tack works at times, but it also produces separate statements that ooze with vitriol, undermines trust and poisons the waters for future deliberations. Consensus building is a brutal art, requiring hard work and doing the little things. Anything less is a recipe for shoddy policy-making, if not the kind of whispering campaign that could hurt a highly able telecom regulator with any political aspirations.