Michael Powell and William Kennard, former chairs of the Federal Communications Commission under presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, respectively, spoke candidly about their experiences heading the regulatory agency at a National Press Club event Tuesday. Held by the Information Economy Project at George Mason University, the forum was meant to provide frank advice on telecom policy to presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama—but also gave the ex-chairmen a chance to offer some surprisingly harsh words for their erstwhile agency's record, on issues as diverse as indecency and antitrust regulation.