Policymakers

Twenty-two LGBTQ advocacy organizations are urging Congress to confirm the nomination of Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to the Federal Communications Commission, condemning attacks on her identity that have forced her nomination to languish for more than a year. In a letter to Senate leadership, groups including the LGBTQ Victory Fund and the National LGBTQ Task Force wrote that it is “past time” for Sohn, who was first nominated in October 2021, to join the FCC and “use her tremendous qualifications for the betterment of ou

President Biden announced his intent to appoint highly qualified and diverse industry leaders as members of the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. The National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) advises the White House on the reliability, security, and preparedness of vital communications and information infrastructure. Appointees will join previously appointed NSTAC members to provide national security and emergency preparedness solutions by providing innovative policy recommendations backed by a unique industry perspective.

Democratic subcommittee chairs for the 118^th Congress are:

Gigi Sohn is gay. She’s also a highly qualified nominee for the Federal Communications Commission with decades of experience as a public interest advocate working on issues of affordable broadband access, net neutrality, and closing the digital divide.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an essential report AFFORDABLE BROADBAND: FCC Could Improve Performance Goals and Measures, Consumer Outreach, and Fraud Risk Management, written by GAO Director of Infrastructure Andr

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) announced the full Democratic rosters for each of the six subcommittees in the 118th Congress, including the six subcommittee Ranking Members and the full Committee Vice Ranking Member, who were elected by the Democrats on the Committee on January 27th, 2023:

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) is urging Congress to move the nomination of Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to be the fifth member of the Federal Communications Commission. Her nomination has been held up for two years because not enough Democrats could be lined up to hold a Senate vote.

It is beginning to look like the 2-2 deadlock that has marked the Federal Communications Commission for the past two years is not about to come to an end in the near-term, even though Democrats now have an extra vote in the Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society].

Trust and confidence in representative government is broken. Accountability in federal agencies is nonexistent, so the Biden administration is pushing radical policies to please its political allies. And the American people are paying the price for it – at the pump, at the grocery store, and at the doctor’s office. The Energy and Commerce Committee is at the center of solving the most important issues facing hardworking Americans – lowering costs, promoting free speech, and preserving free markets.

We’re now marking two years without a fully functional Federal Communications Commission. Never before has the American public had to wait so long for an FCC confirmation. This senseless delay has been driven by a bigoted, vicious and fact-free smear campaign coordinated by telephone, cable and broadcast industry lobbyists and right-wing operatives. The Senate must end this senseless charade and confirm Sohn.