Sens Manchin and Sinema could end up deciding whether Biden secures a Democratic majority at FCC

Republicans are lining up against one of President Joe Biden’s long-awaited picks for the Federal Communications Commission — which means the outcome of this White House priority could come down, once again, to Sens Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). At stake are Democrats’ hopes for a majority on the five-member FCC, which has been mired in a 2-2 partisan split for all of Biden’s term. That in turn will determine whether the agency can get to work on progressives’ telecommunications priorities, including a revival of the agency’s Obama-era net neutrality rules. Biden ended months of suspense by announcing two Democratic picks for the FCC, nominating Chair Jessica Rosenworcel for a new five-year term on the commission and net neutrality activist Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to fill its open seat. Republican senators largely said they can live with Rosenworcel — but GOP leaders say they’re drawing the line at Sohn and her perceived regulatory bent toward broadband price regulation. They’re also not on board with Democrats’ push to rush the confirmations through. Democrats could still jam through Sohn’s confirmation even in the face of unified Republican opposition, but only if their entire caucus sticks together. That means the outcome could come down to Manchin and Sinema, who are on record backing Rosenworcel but have yet to say a word about Sohn.