Quiet FCC Maverick Raises His Voice on Media Rules

He's an old-school Democrat on a Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission. A former history professor, Copps is so soft-spoken that even admirers say he can come across as a little dull.

FCC insiders sometimes roll their eyes as Copps -- who at age 62 is a generation older than the other commissioners -- champions issues some view as out-dated, such as suggesting that the recent broadcast of a Victoria's Secret fashion show met the government's definition of indecency.

But beneath the unassuming, grandfatherly exterior, Copps is emerging as one of the most outspoken and politically savvy commissioners at the agency, observers say. He has launched an ambitious challenge to FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell on one of Powell's key initiatives, the relaxation of decades-old rules that restrict who may own broadcasters and how large they can grow.

And though the biggest battles over media ownership won't occur until spring, Copps is winning some early skirmishes, at times out-maneuvering Powell and maintaining steady pressure to raise public awareness about the issue.

"This is No. 1 on my list," said Copps, who fears that the growingconsolidation of broadcast and other media companies will stifle viewpoints and give a few corporations vast power over what Americans watch, hear and read. "I'm determined to have a conversation with this country on these issues before we pass a vote, and I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen."

Copps' strategy so far has been to slow down the FCC's review of media-ownership regulations. Powell had promised to wrap up the proceeding by next spring. Today, that timetable is questionable.

Copps first pushed the agency to extend a public comment period by 30 days. Then he demanded that the FCC conduct a public hearing about the rules, even though Powell and his aides had dismissed that idea as a waste of time and money and an exercise in "foot-stomping."

The standoff was won after Copps announced that if Powell refused to convene a formal hearing, he would organize a makeshift one of his own. Faced with the prospect of appearing to be uninterested in the public's views, Powell relented and called a hearing for February.

Such tactics have gained Copps notice, both inside and outside the agency.