Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell announced Jan. 21 that he is planning to resign in March after four years in a position marked by strong government efforts to increasingly deregulate telecom businesses and hyper-accelerate competition.

In a prepared statement, Powell said “Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone else take the reigns of the agency. My only significant regret is that I will no longer have the pleasure and privilege of working shoulder-to-shoulder with the most talented and dedicated staff and colleagues that I have known.”

The official tenure of the 41-year-old Republican–son of Secretary of State and former general Colin Powell, also departing the White House administration–included plenty of controversy and dynamic debate among bureaucrats, lawmakers, consumer as well as telecom and Internet companies. The news, however, was not entirely unexpected on the streets inside the Washington beltway, but the first report of Powell’s departure was published in the Jan. 21 Wall Street Journal editorial page.

“It has been a pleasure working with Chairman Powell and his staff for the past eight years,” Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association President Richard DalBello said in a prepared statement. “Chairman Powell has great dedication and passion for communications and telecommunications technologies and under his steadfast direction, these technologies have advanced greatly and benefited the American public.”

Nevertheless, the timing was considered somewhat awkward coming one day after President Bush’s inauguration for a second term. Powell was first appointed to the five-member commission by President Clinton seven years ago (1997) and was named chairman by President Bush in 2001; speculation on possible successors has included current Republican Commissioner Kevin Martin.

The resignation was anticipated, in part, due to widespread changing of the guard at federal agencies in a post-election environment. At the FCC, some of the other departures have included General Counsel John Rogovin, Barbara J. Douglas, director of the Office of Workplace Diversity, and Johanna Mikes Shelton, legal advisor to the Media Bureau.

For a closer look on the Powell’s resignation and his legacy within the satellite industry, see the Jan. 31 issue of Satellite News. For more information on subscribing to Access Intelligence’s satellite industry news and information products, visit us at https://www.satellitetoday.com.