For the entirety of President Biden’s term, the Federal Communications Commission has operated without a Democratic majority, hobbling the party’s ability to carry out its agenda on major issues, including net neutrality and Internet connectivity. Now, delays to FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s confirmation, the appointment that would break the 2-2 split at the agency, mean the deadlock likely will extend into next year. Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] was notably absent from the agendaof a crucial upcoming meeting, held by the panel needed to advance her nomination to the Senate floor. Senate Commerce Committee spokeswoman Tricia Enright said the panel omitted Sohn because lawmakers wanted more time to meet with her, as reported earlier by Politico. Sohn has emerged as perhaps Biden’s most controversial tech or telecom nominee, facing strong opposition from Senate Republicans. Republicans have pointed to Sohn’s past critical statements about Fox News to claim she’s “hyperpartisan,” a charge Sohn and her allies have pushed back on. Despite the GOP uproar, Democrats could still advance and confirm Sohn along a party-line vote — if only they could find the time. Barring last-minute changes to the meeting’s agenda or the Senate’s legislative calendar, the decision to leave her off the agenda next week leaves lawmakers with little-to-no time to confirm Sohn and lock in a long-sought FCC majority before the end of 2021. That means it would take even longer for the agency’s Democratic leadership to kick into gear its most aggressive proposals, including restoring the Obama-era net neutrality rules that dictate that Internet providers should treat all Web traffic equally. The delay could also have a spillover effect on their efforts to make accessing the Internet easier and more affordable nationwide.
