Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks’ announcement that last week’s monthly FCC meeting was his last means he’s leaving before the next one on June 26.
New Street Research (NSR) Policy Advisor Blair Levin, a former FCC Chief of Staff under Chairman Reed Hundt, says current Commission Chair Brendan Carr does not need a Republican majority to accomplish most of what he wants to do. Levin says there are two notable exceptions: “changing the rules governing the AWS-4/2 GHz band in ways that can affect SATS” [EchoStar] and updating broadcast ownership rules to enable consolidation.
NSR believes the Senate will confirm Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty soon, giving Carr a “reliable majority” by the June meeting. Some Democrats have been urging President Trump and Congress to move ahead with a Democratic successor to Starks, that the Trusty nomination not move forward until Trump names Starks’ successor. NSR, however, doesn’t see that demand carrying much weight with Trump, “who appears to be operating under the assumption that he does not need any Democratic congressional support for anything,” notes the policy expert.
“If there is a Democrat who is confirmed, the question is not how they will vote but rather, how effective they will be in generating opposition to Carr’s agenda,” writes Levin. He cites the examples of Michael Copps, Ajit Pai and Carr doing this when they were in the minority.
Levin’s bottom line? “On many issues investors care about, such as mergers and enforcement actions, Starks’ departure will have no impact,” according to Levin. But with the upcoming Republican majority, investors should be weighing the consequences of potentially important issues, such as changing the prior FCC framework for AWS-4/2 GHz and upcoming broadcast consolidation and a new broadcast standard.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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