Policymakers

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan is defending rules allowing so-called zombie votes, by which votes from FTC commissioners who leave the agency can count towards the commission’s current proceedings, even after said commissioners depart. The practice came to light recently after reporting by Politico revealed that as many as 20 votes from former Democratic Commissioner Rohit Chopra remained active, even after he left to become head of Biden’s Consumer Financial Protection Bu

The Federal Communications Commission is seeking nominations for membership on the Telecommunications Interagency Working Group, a group that is being formed pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act “to develop recommendations to address the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry.” The Act directs the FCC Chairwoman, in partnership with the Secretary of Labor, to establish this interagency working group by January 14, 2022. The Working Group must prepare a report with “recommendations to address the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry, including the

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, in consultation with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, has appointed members to serve on the re-chartered Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. In its second term, the Task Force will continue its work to provide advice and recommendations to the FCC on accelerating the deployment of broadband Internet access service on unserved agricultural land to promote precision agriculture.

Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) sent a letter expressing concerns about the "trajectory of the Federal Trade Commission" to FTC Chair Lina Khan.

The Senate Commerce Committee will not be voting next week on Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society]’s nomination because some committee members asked for more time to meet with her. That’s another ominous sign for her nomination, in the wake of fierce GOP criticism. And it seems to ensure that her possible confirmation — which is required to secure a Democratic majority at the FCC — won’t happen until 2022.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel was reconfirmed December 7 by a 68-31 vote to another five-year term at the agency, but that success didn’t come from out of the blue. She’s been working the phones for a while now. Immediately after President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Rosenworcel began making calls. She spoke to key Democrats like Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA). She also reached across the aisle to Republicans like Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS), who voted to confirm her.

Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] could be running into more Republican and industry headwinds in the Biden administration's effort to get a Democratic majority on the agency.

"It is a tremendous honor to be confirmed and designated as the first permanent Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission," said Jessica Rosenworcel. "I would like to thank President Biden for the opportunity.  People across the country count on the FCC to support the connections they need for work, learning, healthcare, and access to the information we require to make decisions about our lives, our communities, and our country.

The Senate voted 68-31 to confirm Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the first woman to hold that title, to another five-year term, narrowly avoiding a Republican majority at the agency once her current term was set to expire at the end of 2021. Rosenworcel will be tasked with expanding broadband connectivity, supporting 5G implementation and bringing back net neutrality rules.