Senate confirms Bush's FCC picks

As part of its pre-holiday flurry of activity, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a pair of presidential picks for the Federal Communications Commission.

Deborah Tate, a lawyer and director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, which oversees the state's telecommunications and utility companies, will take over the post vacated by current Chairman Kevin Martin. (President Bush appointed Martin to the top spot after Michael Powell stepped down earlier this year.)

Michael Copps, a former Commerce Department official who was sworn in as an FCC commissioner on May 31, 2001, earned a second five-year term.

Tate is a Republican, while Copps is a Democrat.

Five presidentially appointed officials--only three of whom are allowed to be members of the same political party--compose the FCC. Upon Senate confirmation, they serve five-year terms unless they're filling a spot made vacant before that tenure expired. All commissioners are barred from having financial stakes in any FCC-related businesses.

The FCC's fifth seat remains vacant. Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy tendered her resignation, effective Dec. 9, last month. The president has not yet named a nominee to replace her.