FCC Chief's Heavy Hand Draws Bi-Partisan Ire

Today, the Federal Communications Commission is set to ram through two measures likely to roil the media and telecommunications industries and deepen political dissatisfaction with the agency's chairman.

Kevin Martin, a 41-year-old Republican, has already drawn heavy criticism with his determination to pass a rule making it easier for media companies to own both newspapers and television stations in the top 20 markets. The five-member commission is expected to pass that rule and another saying that no single cable company can serve more than 30% of the nation's cable subscribers.

After perhaps the most tumultuous month of his term, Mr. Martin says he won't be moved and calls his unpopularity a sign that he's getting the job done. "It's actually important for the commission...to try to grapple with decisions and make decisions," he said in an interview yesterday.

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