The honeymoon, such as it is, may be over for Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell,
who has been in office a little over a year.
Last week he was taking shots from both sides of the aisle.
Senate Commerce Committee chairman Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) called Powell a
"disaster," and Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) accused the
commission of distorting the law, taking particular issue with Powell's recent
moves on developing broadband policy.
Powell could be in for more heat March 7, when he must make his annual
pilgrimage to Hollings, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on the Commerce, Justice and State Departments, which oversees the
FCC's budget requests.
Hollings also oversees the FCC's budget authorization as chairman of the
Senate Commerce Committee, giving him a double stake in the
agency.
