FCC commissioner Deborah Tate resigns
by Alex Ziebart 
Dec 30th 2008 at 7:00PM
The Huffington Post (among other sources) is reporting that FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate has resigned. This is the woman who, less than a month ago, said that World of Warcraft was one of the top reasons for college drop-outs. Now, I can't entirely blame someone for seeing MMOs as a bad thing, there are certainly a lot of people who don't seem to have the ability to throttle their playtime, but that really wasn't her first silly act or statement while she held her position (taking advice from corporations is bad, mmkay). A lot of people will take this news as a godsend.Of course, that doesn't mean she didn't do any good at all. Your personal views may differ from hers depending on the topic, but she's generally pretty well regarded for her efforts when it comes to issues regarding children and their protection. Personally, I don't agree with the extreme 'think of the children!' mentality (or Tate's approach to it) that's become increasingly common, but again, my opinion doesn't represent a nation. A few out of line comments don't negate her efforts entirely.
I eagerly await the chance to learn more about her replacement when the time comes, and the impending review of the FCC should prove to be interesting at the very least. Especially interesting when you consider the fact that Kevin Werbach, co-chair of President-Elect Obama's FCC transition, is a WoW player himself. Does that say a lot about his political stances, affiliations, and personal opinion? No, not really, but I like to think he'll be a little more tech savvy and modern than Deborah Tate was and will do a decent job bringing the FCC up to speed.
I certainly hold no ill will toward Tate over something as small as a comment about a game I play. I'm just really curious to see how much things in the FCC will change over the next few months (or years).
[Thanks, Craig!]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
nviles1 Dec 31st 2008 9:45AM
Back in my day in undergrad, people failed out because of MUDs.
cam Dec 30th 2008 7:06PM
/wave
Sarek Dec 30th 2008 7:30PM
While she may not have been the best person for the job, "taking advice from corporations", as you say, is in fact PART OF her job. She would be failing in her duty to the FCC if she didn't consult all involved parties, especially "expert" once, when making her decisions.
Chris Anthony Dec 31st 2008 8:59AM
There's a difference between consulting all sides in a debate and letting one side write your talking points for you.
Perhaps if you'd followed the link...
Gormakr Dec 31st 2008 10:06AM
Actually, I did follow the link.
The related news story (which is stale) states that Clear Channel Radio (an opponent of the XM/ Sirius merger had sent Ms. Tate a letter re: the pending merger. In that letter, they asked Ms. Tate to oppose the merger. They also provided talking points for Ms. Tate to use if she chose to oppose the merger (in the context of past comments she'd made to support positions that Clearchannel favored).
What the article doesn't say and what Alex also neglects to mention that are relevant:
1) Neither Ms. Tate nor the FCC ultimately opposed the XM/Sirius deal. Ms. Tate was actually the swing vote in the 5 person FCC commissioner vote to APPROVE the deal.
See:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6582004.html
2) The letter was unsolicited by Ms. Tate. She didn't ask for the talking points. She didn't use them. Clearchannel just sent them. If I they sent you a letter with questionable content that you didn't ask for, should people come down on you for that? I suspect that every public figure receives such unsolicited correspondence.
Alex, I love your work and that of Wow Insider, but this article seems a bit biased and poorly researched (or at least the point about taking corporate advice). There is no indication that Ms. Tate took Clearchannel's advice at all - in fact, there is clear evidince that she DIDN'T take Clearchannel's advice and did the opposite of what they requested.
Eternauta Dec 30th 2008 7:07PM
/cheer
Kat Dec 30th 2008 7:08PM
/bellow
ScytheNoire Dec 30th 2008 7:24PM
good riddance
she was not a good person for the position and was a corporate lap dog
problem with most politicians, just corporate puppets who screw over the people they are suppose to serve
Riverrun Dec 30th 2008 7:29PM
The FCC was the dumping ground of all things stupid and petty during the Bush administration. Let's hope Obama brings competence and intelligence to that branch of government, too.
Todd Dec 30th 2008 7:40PM
Why did she resign?
Deb Dec 30th 2008 7:50PM
It was not unexpected, the Huffington Post is reporting that
"Tate has served as an FCC commissioner since 2005, when she was appointed by President Bush, but her term has expired and she was not reconfirmed by Congress."
Todd Dec 30th 2008 8:44PM
Probably for the best, I'm sure.
soildrock Dec 31st 2008 10:19AM
I heard she quit because here regular weekly work meetings interfered with her guild's raid times.
PimpyMicPimp Dec 30th 2008 8:06PM
Probably best that she retire now before she dies in office. I mean, look at her. The living dead, for cereal.
Daniel Dec 30th 2008 8:54PM
WOW. No pun intended. I can't believe the OP is being kind to Ms. Tate. It's a good thing to be civil, when civility is warranted. This lady is a dingbat. It's true that the OP's views don't represent a nation; very humble. But neither does this lady's views represent anything. Well, maybe her views are representative of the dingbat population, IDK as I don't belong there.
Count me among those who are glad to see her go.
Glasgow Dec 30th 2008 9:15PM
Shame she doesnt have WoW, she cant post in /2" LF JOB /w ME !"
=)
Dightkuz Dec 31st 2008 12:59AM
Very funny, you so very funny mr. funnyman!
Smurk Dec 30th 2008 9:16PM
she's all like "nerf socialism"
Josh Dec 30th 2008 9:31PM
I'm so glad we're getting someone who ACTUALLY plays WoW to replace her. Thank the Goddess!!!
Cacheelma Dec 30th 2008 9:41PM
So the wicked witch of the west has resigned?
Good.