FED FEUD DERAILS MEDIA DEBATE

The standoff on local telephone deregulation between FCC Chairman Michael Powell and fellow Commissioner Kevin Martin has spilled over into other key issues, as next week's forum on media ownership in Los Angeles is in danger of postponement. Powell's decision to delay a meeting on the telecom issue caused Martin as well as Kathleen Abernathy to cancel plans to attend the forum at the Center for Communications Law & Policy at the University of Southern California. Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein may also be compelled to cancel. Powell had not planned to attend the meeting, stating repeatedly that public forums on media ownership are not necessary since the citizens may file comments with the FCC.

[SOURCE: Yahoo! News, AUTHOR: Dave McNary and Pamela McClintock]

(http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20030212/media_nm/indust

ry_fcc_dc)

See previous LA IMC post:

http://www.la.indymedia.org/news/2003/02/28610.php