Kevin J Martin

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission rarely finds himself on the wrong side of a vote. But that's exactly where Kevin J. Martin was this weekend, casting the sole dissent in a 4-1 decision that could signal trouble for his agenda in what probably is the last six months of his term. Both of Martin's fellow Republicans on the FCC, Robert M. McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate, joined the commission's two Democrats in ruling against Verizon Communications Inc.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. agreed to pay $19.7 million to resolve outstanding violations involving some of their radios and transmitters, clearing what appeared to be the final obstacle to regulatory approval of their long-pending $3.9-billion merger, a top federal official said Thursday. "I'm optimistic that now we got this issue out of the way we can move forward with an approval," said Kevin J. Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) likened it to a reunion of the Beatles -- although with a Fab Five instead of four. It had been three years since the entire Federal Communications Commission had appeared as one in front of a House committee. On Wednesday, newly empowered Democrats subjected commissioners, particularly Chairman Kevin J. Martin, a Republican, to a five-hour grilling on communications issues, signaling they will watch the FCC's every move.

Kevin J. Martin drank two cups of Starbucks coffee, a 20-ounce bottle of Diet Pepsi and a can of Diet Coke. Maybe it was all that stimulation that enabled the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to do something in February his predecessor rarely did. He faced the public. For nearly six hours, a well-caffeinated Martin listened as a parade of critics stepped up to microphones at a Harrisburg, Pa.

Two key House lawmakers announced Monday that they were investigating the Federal Communications Commission, accusing its chairman of "possible abuse of power" and a failure to operate fairly and openly in handling proposed cable TV and media ownership regulations. "Given several events and proceedings over the past year, I am rapidly losing confidence that the commission has been conducting its affairs in an appropriate manner," Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.

The Federal Communications Commission's monthly meetings are scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. Under Chairman Kevin J. Martin, the trains don't always run on time, and recently they've come close to veering off the rails. On Nov. 27, for instance, the FCC was slated to consider controversial proposals dealing with potential new cable TV regulations and increasing women and minority ownership of broadcast stations.

Pressure mounted Monday for the delay of a vote set for today to ease a ban on a company owning a newspaper and broadcast station in the same city, with 25 senators issuing an unusual warning. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin gave no sign he would back down in his push to loosen the 32-year-old ban. A letter from the senators said that if he didn't, "we will immediately move legislation that will revoke and nullify the proposed rule."

Kevin J. Martin, who was named chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, is taking on one of this town's toughest jobs as new technologies and changing mores threaten to outpace the agency's ability to regulate telecommunications and the media.

In his first public remarks since taking charge of the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Kevin J. Martin on Tuesday urged cable operators to rein in racy shows before Congress clamped down. Martin, named FCC chairman two weeks ago, told a crowd at the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. convention here that his agency did not have the authority it exercised over conventional broadcasting to regulate the programming that streams over cable lines.

You can check phone messages on your television, watch a movie on your cellphone and soon use one phone that works over land lines at home, cellphone networks on the road and Wi-Fi hotspots at coffee shops. "The changes that are occurring in telecommunications today are affecting every aspect of the way people are interacting," said Kevin J. Martin, who took over last March as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.