46. Democrats Take the Hill

The Democrat Majority
Age: Newborn
Last Year: Pre-Conception
Years Left on the Hill: Ask us again in '08

Why Them? They're baaaack. The Democrat takeover of the House and Senate mean that Reps. John Dingell (D-MI), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rick Boucher (D-VA), as well as Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), are back in the telecom mix. But with margins so slim, gridlock will probably reign. The change may not have a huge impact on cable as many cable issues are bipartisan in nature. But then again, several Dems are for net neutrality mandates. On the plus side, the Democrats are more likely to scrutinize agencies pushing the administration's agenda. That could mean more headaches for FCC chairman Kevin Martin, who has been unsuccessful on a number of fronts this year (multicast must-carry, a la carte, and a condition-free AT&T-BellSouth merger). Perhaps Martin's rocky relationship with the cable industry could take a back-seat to the new reality. Perhaps not. Bottom line is that the Dems have bigger fish to fry than telecom, so cable should be relatively safe from regulatory fire. At least it hopes so… - AM

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