Comcast hires lobbyist as FCC nominee Gigi Sohn waits in limbo

Comcast has added a lobbyist with deep ties to Arizona, a state whose senior senator may hold the key to confirming Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] for the open seat at the Federal Communications Commission. The cable, broadband and broadcasting giant hired Kirk Adams of Consilium Consulting to lobby on FCC nominations. The registration filing was amended later on to say Adams would be lobbying on telecommunications policy, as previously reported by POLITICO. The hire came days after President Biden renominated Sohn, who has faced opposition from Republicans, hesitancy from some Democrats and questions from broadcasters about her stances on issues like copyright and net neutrality. One Democrat who has yet to take a position on Sohn is Sen Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), a Commerce Committee member and a moderate Democrat who has typically aligned with Republicans and internet service providers like Comcast on net neutrality. The committee expects to hold a vote on nominees the week of January 24, which may include Sohn.