Politico

We're still waiting on President Biden's pick for FCC inspector general

President Biden has yet to announce his pick for inspector general for the Federal Communications Commission. That position, which is meant to audit FCC spending and investigate potential fraud and abuse, is set to assume new significance, with billions of dollars in pandemic relief and infrastructure cash now flowing into the agency.

President Biden's FTC and FCC nominees face further confirmation delays

Senate Democrats likely won’t be setting up floor votes this week on President Biden’s long-pending Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission nominees, according to Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “We’re missing a few people,” she said, citing the absence of Sen Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) due to COVID-19, as well as a few other Democrats.

President Biden's Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson weighs in on antitrust and Section 230

President Biden's Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson hinted she may be open to a more expansive reading of antitrust laws during her confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 23.

The Tech Questions Facing Ketanji Brown Jackson

In a series of confirmation hearings starting March 21, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will question Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court — and while tech policy is not expected to be a major area of focus for either party, two issues in particular could come up. Critics of the tech industry’s treasured liability shield often claim judges have interpreted Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act too broadly.

Consumer advocacy groups urge House Judiciary leadership to hold a legislative hearing on right to repair

A coalition of 55 consumer advocacy groups sent a letter to House Judiciary Leadership on March 16 urging the lawmakers to hold a legislative hearing on the Freedom to Repair Act (

House Republicans bicker over post-midterm antitrust plans

House Republicans’ “Big Tech Censorship and Data Task Force” presented its preliminary proposals to rein in major tech companies on March 16 — and a significant antitrust overhaul is not particularly high on the agenda. The task force, established in 2021 by Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and led by Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), is developing proposals on Section 230 reform and privacy for the GOP to mobilize around if the party takes back the lower chamber in November 2022.

Can Russia build its own ‘Great Firewall’?

As the Kremlin moves to block or throttle more foreign websites and Russian citizens rush to deploy workarounds such as virtual private networks, concern is growing that Moscow plans to recreate Beijing’s tough restrictions — known collectively as the “Great Firewall” — that shield Chinese citizens from much of the broader internet. But Russia likely possesses neither the infrastructure nor the technical capabilities to mirror China’s relative success in walling off its citizens from the web.

Tech spends big on anti-antitrust ads

Four trade groups and advocacy organizations representing the major tech companies spent roughly $2 million on Facebook advertisements opposing tech-related antitrust bills since the start of 2022. That number, which comes courtesy of an analysis of Facebook’s ad archives by Politico, will likely only increase as legislation to rein in the power of the tech giants moves through the House and Senate. Ad buys from tech trade group NetChoice made up the bulk of that spending.

Democratic infighting on Section 230 reform spreads

Democrats reintroduced in both chambers a bill to examine the impact the first-ever law revamping Section 230 has had on marginalized sex workers, suggesting new efforts to reform the tech industry’s liability shield may face sustained headwinds from progressives. The reintroduced bill comes less than a month after senators advanced the EARN IT Act (

Sen Cruz likely to be the next top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee

Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) is very likely on his way out as the current ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee. And all signs point to Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) replacing him as ranking member — or chair, depending on how November 2022’s election shapes up — by this time in 2023. The Texas senator has a reputation as a political firebrand unconcerned with diplomatic niceties.

Where Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Lands on Tech Policy

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, will inevitably have to weigh in in important cases related to technological issues including data privacy, intellectual property, telecommunications and antitrust if confirmed. Here are a couple cases where Jackson’s weighed in on key tech topics: Equal Rights Center v. Uber and Electronic Privacy Information Center v. Department of Justice.

In New Questions, Sen Sinema Zeroes in on Sohn Recusal

Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-AZ)—widely seen as the key swing vote in the Biden administration’s quest to confirm Gigi Sohn as the fifth commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission—has finally (sort of) weighed in on Sohn’s promise to recuse herself from certain television broadcast copyright and retransmission issues. In questions for the record, which stemmed from Sohn’s unusual second confirmation hearing on Feb.

Lawmakers’ family connections to tech spur scrutiny

At least 17 members of Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats, have children who work or have recently worked for Google, Amazon, Meta, or Apple, according to an analysis by Emily.

National Economic Council's Tim Wu on President Biden's 'New Direction' on Antitrust

National Economic Councilmember Tim Wu said the Biden administration has adopted a different perspective on how to promote innovation — while previous White Houses might’ve said “trust the giants,” this one believes “small is beautiful.” Wu, Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy, pushed back on what he termed the “monopoly innovation” theory that he says has dominated antitrust thinking for several decades. According to that view, he said, the high prices a monopoly can charge encourages it to innovate and develop new technologies.

NTIA head Alan Davidson softens stance on ‘Buy America’ rules

The coming surge of broadband spending fueled by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is already creating headaches for the Commerce Department — particularly around the law’s Buy America provisions. The issue put National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson in a tough position at his first oversight hearing.

Big changes coming to House Commerce Committee in 2023

Change is coming to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the next Congress, a pattern of turnover that has become a staple of the powerful panel over the past 15 years. The list of those leaving is already significant. Five Democrats on the committee won’t be back for the 118th Congress. Among Republicans, Rep Billy Long (R-MO) is making his own Senate run. Other committee members are in real danger of losing their seats, including Reps David McKinley (R-WV) and Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), both of whom are locked in tough reelection fights after redistricting.

Tech and telecommunications nominees remain in limbo

Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission nominees will remain stalled in the Senate for weeks, further jeopardizing progressives’ ambitious technology and telecommunications agendas. Floor votes to confirm FCC nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya may not happen until at least March 2022 due to GOP opposition and the absence of Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).

Civil liberties advocates decamp to tech industry

The tight-knit civil liberties advocacy community has helped shepherd through the most significant reforms to government surveillance over the past decade. But a growing number of experienced civil liberties and privacy activists have taken jobs at major tech companies in recent years, even as the data collection and practices of tech companies and the government come under increasing scrutiny.