It came as a surprise to some, but FCC Chairman Michael Powell has called it quits, announcing his resignation from the post this past Friday. I had been made aware of this event late Thursday night, but was under a "friendly NDA" from one of my insider sources and Friday at 6:43 AM, the Wall Street Journal was the first to break the news, when one could see the following story on the online version (requires a subscription).  "You read it here first," the story read, "FCC Chairman Michael Powell will resign today."  Here are a few other interesting insights from Jeff Pulver, Om Malik, and The Economist. 

Undoubtedly, VoIP is losing one of its biggest allies, who fought innumerous battles inside and outside the Beltway to sustain the free market concept, and recognizing its powers over politics, centralized planning or regulation.  Powell saw the benefits of allowing a nascent VoIP industry a chance to grow, instead of killing it before it was born, and he deserves a lot of credit for that, particularly considering his stance was new and refreshing for someone representing a regulatory body such as the FCC.

There are a lot of folks rumored to be in the running to replace Powell, as reported in Light Reading or Greg Galitzine's TMCNet VoIP blog.  Regardless of who replaces him, he will be really missed.  I certainly hope that Powell's successor will continue following his consumer empowerment steps, and recognizing the following freedoms (so eloquently written in Jeff Pulver's blog entry):

• the right to access the content and applications of their choice
• the right to attach the personal devices of their choice
• the right to service plan information