This is precious…

[Senator] Dorgan complained about a vote being rushed through in December, but Martin has pointed out the FCC held numerous public hearings across the country on the issue.

Good point, Mr. Martin. And I’m quite sure that what you heard at those hearings was a resounding call of support for you to proceed with your already premeditated plans to allow for further consolidation of our nation’s media.

It’s as if Martin believes democratic accountability is simply part of a big democracy theme park, where he’s done his job if he has provided the people with the thrilling ride of simulated democratic action, and arcades come complete with voting booths where you can push the buttons and pull the levers, representing an actual authentic experience of affecting the direction of governance itself.

But in the end, nothing has really changed and you end up back where you started (except poorer), in which you have had as much control over your final destination as one does riding a rocket through Space Mountain, where everyone ends up at a predetermined location designed by a collection of unseen (and for all intents and purposes regarding your role in this - unaccountable) engineers.

Our scions of public policy in Washington, such as Mr. Martin, who are busy day in and day out parading around in the costume of a democratic republic, understand that democracy itself is much too important to be left up to the people to notably influence.

One note in Martin’s defense, however, is that he may actually sincerely believe he is serving the democratic process. He’s just terribly confused in understanding the differentiation between consumer and citizen, between the public space and the market place. To Mr. Martin, America truly is “One Market Under God.”

Read the complete article here in Broadcasting & Cable on the efforts to block FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s attempts to remove media cross ownership rules.

Update: Some interesting insight from the LA Times on Martin’s habits of working in the dark, keeping his colleagues out of the loop and managing the agency ineffectively. However, one needs to ask if he or his patrons in the telecommunications business really think his tactics are all that ‘ineffective’. The premise of people’s complaints is assuming that Martin is working for the ‘public interest.’ Guess it depends on how and who one defines as ‘the public.’ His actions are certainly effective in promoting the interests of corporations like Verizon and AT&T.

Read the article…
Criticism of the FCC’s Chairman Is Widely Aired

- Andy Valeri, USTV Media