WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The winner of the 2004 presidential election may be in position to reshape the Federal Communications Commission, the Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday.
A majority on the five-member commission -- which regulates the U.S. telecommunications industry -- typically belongs to the party that occupies the White House.
If Democratic Sen. John Kerry is elected president, he will doubtless alter the makeup of the FCC. However, The Reporter said if President George Bush is re-elected, he will bring some new faces to the commission.
Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein's term has expired. Unless he is appointed for another term, his tenure will end when Congress adjourns after the post-election lame-duck session. Most observers think Bush has no plans to reappoint Adelstein, the Reporter said.
The paper also said FCC Chairman Michael Powell is likely to go as well. If Kerry wins, Powell is expected to resign shortly after Inauguration Day. He could stay on the FCC as a minority commissioner, but The Reporter said that's not likely.
