Telecommunications nominees spell out priorities on broadband, spectrum

Broadband and spectrum issues are top of mind for Gigi Sohn and Alan Davidson, President Joe Biden’s picks for the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications Information Administration, respectively. Ahead of their confirmation hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee on Dec 1 (where there’s expected to be plenty of fireworks), they shared with lawmakers what they view are the top challenges facing their agencies:

“The FCC’s top challenge is ensuring that every household in the [US] has affordable and robust broadband Internet access,” Sohn wrote in her questionnaire. She said the agency should play a leading role in developing and executing an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to expanding broadband access, corralling the support of the public, private and philanthropic sectors. Other challenges will include shoring up the resiliency and security of the nation’s communications networks, particularly against weather-related challenges and cyberattacks, such as the Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds hacks. “The interconnected broadband networks that underpin our digital economy are among our most vulnerable attack conduits,” she wrote, suggesting the development of “an oversight regime that requires network providers to determine best practices, subject to regulatory oversight.” (That could be a reference to reclassifying broadband as a telecom service, as the FCC did in 2015 with its net neutrality rules, which would give the agency more regulatory authority over broadband.) Sohn added that the FCC will need to coordinate closely with other government agencies to develop spectrum policy that balances 5G mobile broadband service and unlicensed uses, such as Wi-Fi.

Davidson homed in on broadband access and affordability as his “top priority in the coming years,” according to his questionnaire. That agency has been tasked with doling out tens of billions of dollars in broadband funds as part of the infrastructure package President Biden recently signed into law. Davidson also said that the NTIA has an important role to play in the spectrum battles that have arisen in Washington, calling for a “broad coordinated, national approach to spectrum use and planning.” In his response, Davidson also argued for building a stronger internet by "bolstering cybersecurity, protecting privacy, and pressing for America's view of a free and open Internet around the world" — something that he has advocated for in his roles at Google and Mozilla, as well as at various advocacy groups and the Obama-era Commerce Department.