Former FCC public safety chiefs endorse nominee Gigi Sohn

Three former Federal Communications Commission public safety chiefs endorsed Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] for the open Democratic commissioner slot. In a pair of letters to the Senate Commerce Committee on January 3, Jamie Barnett, David Simpson and David Turetsky — who all worked at the FCC during the Obama administration — said Sohn has strongly supported law enforcement and first responders. These endorsements could provide a counterweight to temper concerns voiced by the Fraternal Order of Police over Sohn’s ties to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and its support for encrypted communication, which the organization considers a safety risk. Encryption policy, Sohn defenders note, is typically beyond the FCC purview.