Kennard to leave FCC next week

(Telephony) In a much-anticipated move, FCC Chairman William Kennard today said he will resign from the regulatory board next Friday.

During a press conference regarding the commission’s approval of the AOL-Time Warner deal, Kennard said he had long planned to leave the FCC after completing the review of the megamerger. He said he submitted his resignation to President Clinton this morning.

“Our work is completed here, and it’s time for me to go,” Kennard said.

During his term as chairman, Kennard led the FCC’s effort to implement the Telecommunications Act of 1996, including the establishment of several policies affecting the development of broadband services. “I feel very privileged that I was able to serve as chairman of the FCC at a time when communications technologies are so dramatically changing the way the American people live, work, and learn,” Kennard wrote in his letter of resignation.

The resignation is effective Jan. 19, the eve of President-elect George W. Bush’s inauguration. Most speculation indicates that Bush will appoint FCC Commissioner Michael Powell--son of Secretary of State nominee Colin Powell--to replace Kennard as chairman of the commission.

Kennard said his immediate plans are to spend more time with his 10-month-old child and work as a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program in Washington, D.C. At the institute, he will serve as an advisor and become the first chairman of the program's new advisory board.