Democrats returned to power in Washington with big promises to rework the laws that govern tech giants — priorities President Biden emphasized at his first State of the Union address, with a call to boost protections for children online and expand Internet access. But implementing this ambitious tech agenda hinges on breaking partisan deadlocks at two key agencies, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, where tiebreaking nominations have been delayed. Democrats came one step closer to gaining control on March 3. The Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-14 on party lines to advance FCC nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya to the Senate floor. Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said she would report the ties to the Senate floor, where Democrats hold a narrow majority secured only by the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Harris. Both agencies with broad oversight over Silicon Valley companies, the FCC and FTC have lacked a Democratic majority for months, preventing them from moving forward with widely anticipated initiatives, like restoring open Internet regulations and crafting new competition rules.
