Hard decisions haven't slowed FCC Chairman Kevin Martin

— -- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin will probably be remembered as one of the most controversial FCC chiefs in history.

And that's just fine by him.

To be effective, "You have to be willing to make hard decisions," Martin says, reflecting on his guiding philosophy. "You have to … try to find the right answer, even if that means, at times, that every industry is unhappy. In the end, it is not about them. It is about the consumer."

Martin will preside over his last FCC meeting as chairman Thursday. His successor is expected to be Julius Genachowski, the top tech guru of President-elect Barack Obama, according to a source close to the Obama transition team who declined to be identified before Obama makes the announcement official.

When Martin steps down — probably by month's end — he'll leave behind a legacy that will be felt for years, predicts Paul Glenchur, a public policy analyst at Stanford Group in Washington.

"He did a good job of laying the foundation for technological innovation" for the USA, Glenchur says. "He had a real willingness to pursue what he believed in aggressively, even if it ruffled feathers."

Under Martin, the FCC adopted a crush of rules aimed at promoting broadband deployment. He also pushed, prodded and, at times, enraged cable TV, broadcasters, Internet start-ups and rural phone companies.

Martin, a Republican appointed by Bush in 2005, is unusual in that he has a decidedly pro-consumer agenda, says Gene Kimmelman of Consumers Union. "He was a pleasant surprise."

Martin "consistently supported competition throughout his tenure," agrees Jim Cicconi, executive vice president at AT&T. "That wasn't always popular" with the dominant communications companies, including AT&T. "But he has done great things for consumers."

Martin says that while his stances frustrated some companies, or even whole industries, "that's just part of the nature of being a regulator.

"When you are deciding controversial issues, nobody remembers when you were with them," he says. "They only remember when you are against them."