Senate Confirms McDowell as Fifth FCC Commissioner

PHONE+ mag: "The U.S. Senate on Friday unanimously confirmed COMPTEL lawyer Robert McDowell as the fifth member of the FCC. McDowell’s nomination had been on hold for some time; his confirmation gives FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin a Republican majority, which he has not had since he was appointed chairman in early 2005. "Rob McDowell's confirmation today is great news for the FCC," said Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which held McDowell’s initial nomination hearings in March. "Rob's expertise and experience will be an asset to the commission as it tackles a variety of critical communications issues in the future. The FCC will be required to implement portions of our communications bill, and it is essential it has a full complement of commissioners.""