Andrew Wyrich

It remains an open question as to when the Senate Commerce Committee will schedule a vote on Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society], the long-time public interest advocate and net neutrality supporter picked by President Joe Biden to fill out the Federal Communications Commission.

Millions of people signed up for the Federal Communications Commission‘s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program since it launched in mid-May—but records show that Americans faced significant frustrations with their internet service providers amid the rollout. While hundreds of providers agreed to be part of the EBB, customers of nearly every provider say issues have cropped up along the way.

President Joe Biden has faced constant pressure to fill out the Federal Communications Commission since he took office earlier this year. Pressure ramped up significantly last week when dozens of advocacy groups pushed the president to “urgently” address the deadlocked agency. In the immediate months following the 2021 inauguration, advocacy groups pressured Biden for a nominee but also recognized that the incoming administration was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of Trump’s administration. Now, they say, it’s time for Biden to act.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has faced consistent pressure to nominate someone at the Federal Communications Commission to either fill out the five-person agency or become the permanent chair. But despite that push from advocacy groups and more than 100,000 people online, they have watched as President Biden has nominated people to other federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), leaving the FCC without the ability to tackle issues tha

President Joe Biden continued to push the notion that connecting Americans to broadband internet should be classified as infrastructure ahead of a meeting with members of Congress to negotiate the administration’s recent infrastructure and jobs plan. “I’m prepared to negotiate as to the extent of my infrastructure project as well as how we pay for it in a serious conversation about to do that,” President Biden said.

A Q&A with Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, a Benton Senior Fellow & Public Advocate, and former Federal Communications Comission counselor.

Without the fear of Republican obstruction, tech and public interest advocates have begun pushing for President Joe Biden to act quickly to fill out the Federal Communications Commission. They say the president has come at a "critical opportunity" to pick a "bold" choice. President Biden can go one of two ways to fill out the FCC. He could elevate Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to become the permeant chair of the agency, or he could nominate someone who would come in with the expectation that they would become the chair.

A coalition of more than 30 advocacy groups are calling on President Joe Biden and congressional leadership to fill the final vacancy at the Federal Communications Commission immediately. While President Biden recently named Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel the acting chairwoman of the FCC, the agency was left with a vacancy when former Chairman Ajit Pai stepped down on Inauguration Day. 32 advocacy organizations argued in a letter to the Biden administration and members of the Senate that there needed to be a "speedy nomination and confirmation of a fifth commissioner" to the FCC so it can

Shortly after the election, it appeared that Republicans in the Senate hoped to gum up the Federal Communications Commission and potentially block Biden from filling it out. In early December, the Senate rammed through the nomination of Nathan Simington, a person handpicked by President Donald Trump to serve on the FCC whose selection 

Nathan Simington, President Donald Trump’s controversial choice to be on the Federal Communications Commission, will get a vote Dec 2 from the Senate Commerce Committee on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. If Simington advances through the committee vote and then passes through a full vote in the Senate, he could put the FCC into a crunch for President-elect Joe Biden. If Simington’s nomination is approved, and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai steps down from his post ahead of the nomination (which is traditional), it would leave the agency stuck with 4 commissioners, two from each