STILL waiting for confirmation of FCC Chair nominee -- because of Repug pettiness

[eppur_se_muova]

FCC Chairman Confirmation On Hold Until After Memorial Day

By Fawn Johnson
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Senate Commerce Committee has postponed until after Memorial Day a confirmation hearing for Julius Genachowski, President Barack Obama's choice to lead the Federal Communications Commission.

A confirmation hearing was scheduled for next week, but Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, D-W.V., announced Thursday evening that the hearing is being put off.

"It has been agreed to on a bipartisan basis to postpone the hearing until just after the Memorial Day recess," said Committee Spokeswoman Jamie Smith.

The delay heightens the possibility that Genachowski will be installed after the June 12 cutoff date when all TV stations shut off their over-the-air analog signals. The digital TV transition has been a top priority for the FCC since Obama became president.

Genachowski's confirmation for FCC chairman has been held up for months, in part because Senate Republicans want to pair Genachowski with a Republican nominee for FCC commissioner. Republicans haven't yet settled on a nominee for the open Republican slot on the FCC, according to industry sources.

In the meantime, the normally five-member FCC is operating with just three commissioners. Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, is serving as acting chairman. Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, has been nominated to head the Internet grant program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Adelstein will leave the FCC once Genachowski is installed.
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more: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090507-725635.html