Biden FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn Settles Case That Spurred GOP Senator’s Fight

A confidential settlement involving Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] appears to undercut a key Republican senator’s stated reason for opposing her nomination. The delay in confirming Sohn is preventing Democrats from securing a majority at the independent regulatory agency, which would allow them to pursue policies such as reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules. Republicans say Sohn will pursue heavy-handed regulation and have criticized statements she has made against conservative media outlets. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker (R-MS)'s stated opposition to Sohn revolves around an October 2021 order by a New York federal court shutting down Locast, a nonprofit where the nominee served on the board. Locast, which retransmitted local TV signals over the Internet, was ordered to pay ABC, CBS, NBCUniversal, and Twentieth Century Fox $32 million for illegally streaming their programming. But since then, the broadcasters agreed to settle for a fraction of the decree — roughly $700,000 in cash and liquidation of used computer servers. A provision in the settlement states the broadcasters released individuals from liability. Broadcasters agreed to file a satisfaction of judgment by January 27 if all the terms are met. Sohn signed the confidential agreement on October 27, a day after President Joe Biden announced her nomination