Dec 19, 2006 -- Commissioner McDowell's Self-Recusal from AT&T's Bell South Merger: Statement of Meredith McGehee, Policy Director, Campaign Legal Center

Federal Communications Commissioner Robert McDowell deserves special notice for choosing to recuse himself from the decision regarding AT&T's buyout of Bell South. Facing pressure from his chairman and a free pass from the FCC's counsel, he had all kinds of cover to make the wrong decision about participating in the decision on the buy out. To his credit, Commissioner McDowell made the right choice.

In an era where the revolving door increasingly swings both ways and newly-minted or re-minted government officials expedite the agendas of their one-time clients and employers, it is refreshing to see a former telecommunications lawyer/lobbyist recognize that the appearance of a conflict of interest can be just as important as an actual conflict, especially in terms of public confidence in government actions. Commissioner McDowell's decision is even more laudable given the significant pressure he faced from his Chairman to enter the fray.

As Congress prepares in just a few weeks to take up rewrite of its congressional ethics rules, we can only hope that Senators and Representatives will take note of Commissioner McDowell's decision and the tone it sets about attempting to deliver on campaign promises to "drain the swamp" in Washington. The string of recent congressional scandals have clearly shown that stronger ethics rules, independent oversight and curbs on the revolving door between government and the private sector for Members and staffers are vital to changing the culture of corruption in Washington.

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