Hundt Says Martin Should Stick to Principles, Change Approach to Office
FCC Chmn. Martin will have to take a fresh approach to his office and faces much more oversight - from hearings to phone calls and letters from Capitol Hill demanding answers, former FCC Chmn. Reed Hundt said, commenting on the Democratic takeover of Congress.
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“In 1995 and 1996 Congressional oversight seemed to be the equivalent of a proctology exam every day,” Hundt told us. Democrat Hundt faced a similar change when Republicans took over Congress in 1995. New Speaker Newt Gingrich (R- Ga.) even called for the elimination of the FCC. Hundt said his job as chairman changed overnight. “I do not think it will be anywhere near as bad as that” for Martin when Democrats assume control next Jan., Hundt said.
“If you're running a regulatory agency you have to start all over again and think from ground zero what do you want to accomplish, what do you stand for, what do you want to do,” Hundt said. “There are things you didn’t have to argue when your party controlled everything that you do have to debate. [Martin] doesn’t have to become a different person. He does need to approach discussions and debates in a way that fits the circumstances.” Hundt said that, compared to phone calls and letters from lawmakers, “hearings are the least of it.”
Hundt said his office suddenly had to make the case for keeping the FCC in existence. “We had to get out a blank sheet of paper and say that’s going to be a debate,” he said: “'[Gingrich] feels that way. We don’t. We're going to have to do our part to make the opposite argument.'”
With Democratic control of Congress, Hundt said he expects a number of issues to get more debate. Among them: The need for a more proactive broadband policy and a “more affirmative regulatory policy” on net neutrality; the legality of robo-calling during elections; the need to promote all varieties of Universal Service; and media consolidation and its effect on freedom of speech.
Hundt said his advice to Martin is to stick to his principles. “Kevin is a very, very well respected person,” Hundt said: “He’s very able. He doesn’t need to change his principles. He should not even think about changing his principles. He has to recognize that the situation is completely different. Things that he thought were accepted need to be debated and discussed.”