Tough issues ahead forMartin

Media ownership

An appeals court struck down a plan by his predecessor, Michael Powell, to let media conglomerates snap upmore outlets. So Martin must modifyt he plan. Public- interest advocates are sure to warn of the perils of a few giant companies controlling the airwaves. Martin could submit a scaled-down plan that would allow a company to both own a newspaper and some broadcast stations in the same market.

“ Whenwe try to tee the issues up in bite- size chunks,” Martin says, “ we’remore likelyt o continue tomake progress.”

One option, he says: to con 1 ne the looser ownership caps to large markets with the most media outlets. Martin says the agency could also target some smallmarkets wheremergerswould “ increase the amount of news coverage or maintain failing stations or newspapers.”

Yet Martin concedes hemight not win Democratic support. “ The issue is very complex and very contentious,” he says.

Indecency

Martin dissented fromseveral of Powell’s indecency rulings; Martin said the FCC wasn’t being strict enough. He’s urged cable companies to build a tier of family- friendly programming. And he’s said he wants to rule simultaneouslyon a big backlog of indecent complaints; he’d like to quell criticismthat the FCC’s line between indecent and acceptable content is fuzzy. “ We both need to provide clearer direction of wherewe’re headed but be sensitive thatwe’re not chilling speech,” he says.

Broadcasters, meanwhile, might sue to overturn several indecency rulings.

Digital TV

Martin favors reclaiming broadcasters’ analog channels soon so they can be used to boost public- safetyra dio communication. But he’s broken with fellowcommissioners in saying cable companies should have to carryb roadcasters’ multiple newdigital channels. Examples: all- weather or all- news stations.

“ What local broadcasters provide in terms of local news and information to the communityis

reallyimportant,” Martin says.

Universal service fund

The $6 billion fund helps keep phone service affordable in rural areas. It’s 1 nanced by a 10% surcharge on all long- distance bills.

But the fund is shrinking fast. That’s because consumers are shifting to wireless calling, e- mail and Internet- based phone services. Those services contribute less, or nothing, to universal service. Other FCC of 1 cials have called for imposing universal service fees on all broadband services. Martin has opposed such broadband regulation.

Instead, hewants to impose a similar charge on all services that use a phone number— including wireless and Internet- based phone services. “ We knowhowmany telephones are out there, we have data on that, and it would be easier froman administrative perspective,” Martin says.