Democrats investigate FCC's Martin

Things are getting nasty down at the FCC for Kevin Martin and his war against the cable digicoms, with a Democrat-led committee launching an investigation about an alleged "break down in proper procedure."

"I have received several complaints from the public and professionals within the communications industry about how Chairman Martin is conducting business at the FCC," Rep. Bart  Stupak (D-Mich.) said in a statement. Stupak chairs the Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. "It is one thing to be an aggressive leader, but many of the allegations indicate possible abuse of power and an attempt to intentionally keep fellow commissioners in the dark."

This prompted fellow Michigan Democrat  and head of the House Commerce Committee John Dingell to send Martin a letter Monday stating: "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. While this is certainly not true for every commission proceeding, a trend appears to be emerging of short-circuiting procedural norms, suggesting a larger breakdown at the agency."

Martin has been asked to respond by Dec. 10. Martin has targeted the cable companies, and Comcast in particular, seeking to wind back its dominance. Comcast is the leading provider of VoIP in the U.S. and is expected to become the fourth largest wireline carrier soon.

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- Congressional probe targets Martin Variety Report

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