Biden’s tech and telecom agenda hinges on breaking the deadlocks at FCC and FTC

Democrats returned to power in Washington with big promises to rework the laws that govern tech giants—priorities President Biden emphasized at his first State of the Union address, with a call to boost protections for children online and expand Internet access. But implementing this ambitious tech agenda hinges on breaking partisan deadlocks at two key agencies, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, where tiebreaking nominations have been delayed. Democrats could come one step closer to gaining control March 3, when the Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to vote on FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya. Both agencies with broad oversight over Silicon Valley companies, the FCC and FTC have lacked a Democratic majority for months, preventing them from moving forward with widely anticipated initiatives, like restoring open Internet regulations and crafting new competition rules. While the agencies are split, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel and FTC Chair Lina Khan have had to negotiate compromises with Republican commissioners, who disagree with some of their key positions. Sohn, an open Internet advocate, and Bedoya, a critic of surveillance software, are among a slate of Biden nominees who have signaled the dawn of more aggressive tech and telecom regulation. But the clock is ticking on that agenda — especially as it appears increasingly likely that Republicans could regain control of Congress in the midterms and subject the agencies to tougher oversight.