BusinessWeek’s Catherine Yang has written a great overview of the challenges facing the FCC during 2005, in the latest edition. Michael Powell’s likely successor is tipped to be the current FCC Commissioner, Kevin Martin, who appears to be more pro-legislation than Powell.

There are four key areas on the FCC’s plate this year, according to BW:

• Big Media – maintaining competition in the face of massive concentration.
• Universal phone access – ensuring contributions to the low-cost access fund by new telecoms companies like VoIP players, without crippling the fledgling industry.
• Freeing the airwaves for wireless broadband – by taking them back from analog tv broadcasters.
• Competitive broadband infrastructure – ensuring third parties can run over the cable networks without discrimination, bringing it in line with DSL regulations.