As expected, President Bush has appointed Michael Powell chairman of the Federal Communications commission.

Powell, the 37-year-old son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, has served on the commission since 1997 as one of the two Republican commissioners. In recent months, he has argued against efforts by his Democratic colleagues to impose conditions on the AOL-Time Warner merger. And, although like predecessor Bill Kennard he is black, he has also questioned efforts by the commission to promote minority ownership of TV and radio stations by granting tax breaks to companies who sell to minority entrepreneurs, noting that black ownership does not necessarily foster diversity in programming.

Source: Studio Briefing