Tuesday, December 30, 2008

FCC Says 'Ta-Ta' To Tate

FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, who has served on the panel for three years, took part in her last meeting via teleconference on Tuesday. Tate, one of three Republican commissioners at the agency, came to Washington after serving as director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority and as head of the State and Local Policy Center at Vanderbilt University. She was nominated by President Bush on Nov. 9, 2005 and was confirmed by the Senate the following month.

During her term, Tate focused on children and families and, among other things, led a charge for broadcasters and advertisers to reduce the amount to which they show and promote unhealthy foods. She was also involved in a host of issues surrounding the universal service fund, which subsidizes telecom and Internet connections for citizens, hospitals, libraries and schools in rural- and low-income areas. Fellow Republican Robert McDowell said Tate should also be proud of her efforts to "lift unnecessary regulations in order to allow market competition to grow and flourish."

Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, called Tate an "upbeat person" and said her time at the FCC "has been in many ways extraordinary... [but is] a chapter in a book still being written with other chapters yet to come." Democrat Jonathan Adelstein said the FCC has benefited from Tate's collegiality and dedication and "her grace and friendship have made easier and more enjoyable the many important and often difficult issues we've tackled together." McDowell noted that Tate was often the "voice of consensus" and helped the commission find middle ground on any number of complicated matters.

Tate said she hoped the FCC would "continue to seek and find consensus whenever possible, keeping the public interest rather than the 'politics du jour' at the forefront of every decision." She also said in a 2,275-word statement that it is important, given the economic climate, that the FCC does "not make decisions in a vacuum." The information and communication technology sectors can assist with the jumpstarting and hopefully the re-stabilization of the overall economy -- insuring continued investment to produce new and better-paying jobs, Tate said.