Policymakers

"Democratic leadership repeatedly said that if Democrats took control of the Senate they would move quickly to get the Federal Communications Commission back to work protecting the public," said Fight for the Future Evan Greer in a letter to Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY)."But Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), in her role as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, has been actively and egregiously preventing Democrats from making good on those promises.

Cable and telecommunications internet service providers are pushing back on Democratic Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society]'s promise to recuse herself from some issues if confirmed. They‘re suggesting such an offer signals a wider problem with which issues she would or should be weighing in on, and what impact that would have on the agency and the industry.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it is continuing to build out its senior leadership following the confirmation of Alan Davidson as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. April McClain-Delaney, formerly the Washington Director of Common Sense Media, has been named Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. Andy Berke, former mayor of Chattanooga (TN), is joining NTIA as a special representative for broadband.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel responded to Sens Roger Wicker (R-MS) and John Thune (R-SD) and Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Robert Latta (R-OH) on January 7, 2022, regarding their letter about the FCC’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) report on fraudulent enrollments by providers in the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program.

"Last year, Congress passed the [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act], which includes more than $42 billion in grants to states and territories focused on funding high-speed broadband deployment to households and businesses that currently lack access to these services," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to the National Governor's Association. "States will soon have access to initial planning funds, which will help inform a five-year action plan. We need you to start preparing for this program now.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the appointment of the following Bureau and Office Chiefs:

Brendan Carr, the senior Republican commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, said he welcomes what he’s seeing in the

Democratic Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] has promised that, if confirmed to the open seat, she will recuse herself from decisions where retransmission consent or TV broadcast copyright are material issues. Sohn was a board member of TV station streamer Locast, which a court concluded had violated copyright by streaming broadcasts without permission or compensation. Republicans and some broadcasters had issues with that connection, suggesting it could be a conflict of interest.

During his time on the Supreme Court, Justice Stephen Breyer authored and signed onto a slew of significant antitrust and regulation opinions that loom large over the cases against Facebook and Google today. His departure from the bench will mean the loss of serious antitrust expertise — a development that will sadden some traditionalists and cheer progressive antitrust activists that say change is long overdue. Breyer’s views on corporate power shifted somewhat over the years, but antitrust experts point to his decision to sign onto Justice Antonin Scalia’s 2004 opinion in Verizon v.

A confidential settlement involving Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] appears to undercut a key Republican senator’s stated reason for opposing her nomination. The delay in confirming Sohn is preventing Democrats from securing a majority at the independent regulatory agency, which would allow them to pursue policies such as reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules.