WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the 118th Congress gets started, President Joe Biden has renominated Gigi Sohn to serve as a Commissioner at the FCC. The nomination was first submitted to the 117th Congress but proved controversial and did not get a full vote in the Senate.
That has left the FCC in a 2 to 2 political deadlock and made it difficult to tackle issues that don't have bipartisan support. The renomination indicates that the administration is hoping that the slightly larger 51 to 49 Democratic majority in the 118th Congress would allow Sohn to be approved.
Commenting on the renomination, FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said: “I’m proud of the work the Commission has accomplished in the last two years. Closing the Homework Gap, broadband access and affordability, telehealth, mapping, and network security are top priorities and we’ve acted accordingly. Gigi is a knowledgeable nominee with a long record of commitment to the issues before the FCC and I congratulate her on nomination as a Commissioner at the agency. I look forward to the day we have a full complement of five commissioners.”
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks also issued a statement supporting President Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as commissioner.
“As I said during the last Congress, Gigi Sohn is ‘an accomplished leader whose talent, expertise, and experience will invigorate our work at the FCC,'" he said. "I continue to hold that view. Whether we’re protecting consumers, securing our networks, or bringing the promise of new technologies to every community, Americans deserve an FCC that is working at full strength.”
