Michael J. Copps doesn't exactly cut the figure of a political heavyweight.
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.
"He was very much an unknown," said Gene Kimmelman, co-director of Consumers Union, one of several advocacy groups that oppose the relaxation of media ownership rules. "But he's flown in below the radar screen and shown himself to be very effective and very adept."
Reed Hundt, a telecommunications consultant and former Democratic chairman of the FCC, said, "I don't remember any commissioner ever forcing me to call a hearing I didn't want to have."
In anticipation of the February hearing, Copps is trying to spur public support by linking his two pet issues: media consolidation and indecency on television and radio.
He has argued that media consolidation and corporate ownership of television and radio stations have accelerated the "race to the bottom" in offering sex and violence. Suddenly, his keen interest in maintaining decency doesn't look so old-fashioned, experts say.
If Copps can tap into community outrage over profanity and sex on television and redirect anger at media consolidation, Powell may find more public resistance than he expected, analysts and industry officials say.
"He's pretty crafty in the way he's going about this," one media lobbyist said. "He's a seasoned political operative and he's keeping the pressure on Powell."
Copps has hit the road, speaking about the issue to lawmakers, religious groups, unions and newspaper editorial boards, an unusually aggressive strategy for a commissioner. At the recent annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, Copps chatted up Walter Cronkite and urged the veteran anchorman to speak out against media consolidation.
Although critics accuse Copps of trying to delay -- or halt -- a vote, he denies this. "I'm saying we need to get the facts. I have a lot of questions."
Powell declined to comment.
His media advisor, Susan Eid, said the chairman welcomes the chance to gather public opinion at a hearing, though she noted that the agency hears from the public on a daily basis. Interested parties can submit comments to the FCC until Feb. 3.
In the eyes of Powell and others, the broadcast restrictions -- some of which are more than 30 years old -- should be updated to reflect the growth of cable TV and the Internet. Over the last two years, a federal appeals court has thrown out several of the rules, questioning whether they still serve the public interest.
"We must focus on developing broadcast ownership rules that are sustainable in court," Eid said.
