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25th Anniversary of FCC Decision Enabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

25th Anniversary of FCC Decision Enabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
A series of posts describing how this all came about. (Click on picture above)

Friday, January 23, 2009





John Adams
&
Kevin Martin




What do John Adams and Kevin Martin have in common?

Remember the "midnight commissions"? The lawyers in the readership certainly will remember Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137. On his last day in office, John Adams was busy signing commissions late into the night creating "midnight judges".


The above is from the FCC website today and shows some actions dated January 18th and 19th.

1/19/09
Chairman Martin Letter to Congressmen Waxman and Barton.
Acrobat

1/19/09
Chairman Martin Letter to Senators Rockefeller and Hutchison.
Letter: Acrobat
See Enforcement Bureau Notices of Apparent Liability

1/18/09
FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of General Counsel Issues Letter to Comcast Seeking Clarification of Comcast's Network Management Practices.
Letter: Word | Acrobat

Above is a slightly more readable version. Kevin Martin resigned effective January 20th. January 19 was Martin Luther King day, a federal holiday. January 18 was Sunday. So it looks like Chairman Martin was busy on two days other than normal business days tidying up his legacy. Just like John Adams. Who knew?

FHH CommLogBlog on above cable letter and NALs

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what excessively loyal and lucky FCC staff got to work straight through the weekend to produce these gems? It is interesting to walk into the building now - and see all the empty offices of former loyalists who have left the building. Someone should make a T Shirt that says "I Survived Martin's KGB-FCC"

Anonymous said...

Another note of worth -- whenever an FCC Chair or Commissioner leaves the FCC, they always send out an email to the entire FCC staff about what an honor it was serving with them. Powell went down to the Commission Meeting Room and any staff member could go down and get their picture taken with Power. Kennard went around the building door to door thanking staff. There was no such email or gesture from Martin. He packed his boxes and slipped out the side door.

When Chairman Copps gave his speech today to the entire FCC staff, before he had said even a word, he was met by thunderous applause. Like Obama with Bush right behind him declared that the country he was receiving was in disarray, Copps made clear that the FCC is in disarray and that things will be changing.