Policymakers

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.

The head of the National Urban League is calling on the Senate Commerce Committee to favorably report Democrat Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society]'s Federal Communications Commission nomination to the full Senate and to work actively for a vote in that body.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is still looking to hold a confirmation vote for FCC nominee Gigi Sohn sometime soon. Although Chairwoman Cantwell had hoped to hold a vote in January, a spokesperson said "because the [Senate] recess [a planned January 17-21 "state work period"] was moved to next week," the Chairwoman is now hoping to "have something confirmed at some point next week."

Federal Communications Commissioners Nathan Simington and Brenden Carr have used their positions as leaders of a federal agency to dehumanize and disrespect the immigrant community. At the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), we believe that no human is illegal and that every person deserves dignity and respect. As such, we condemn the Commissioners’ comments and statements following the release of the Affordable Connectivity Program rules and call for higher standards of morality, empathy, and humanity from those who sit on the FCC.

It remains an open question as to when the Senate Commerce Committee will schedule a vote on Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society], the long-time public interest advocate and net neutrality supporter picked by President Joe Biden to fill out the Federal Communications Commission.

Federal Communications Commissioner Brandon Carr released an extraordinary statement worth reading. Carr is taking exception to the final rules from the Treasury Department concerning how communities can use the $350 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The commissioner is asking states to somehow intervene in the way that cities, counties, and towns elect to use these funds.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the appointment of a diverse group of leading technology experts to serve as members of the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). The TAC will hold its first meeting on Monday, February 28, 2022, beginning at 10:00 am EDT via video conference and will be available online. The advisory council provides technical expertise to the FCC to identify important areas of innovation and develop informed technology policies.