Shopper Champion Gigi Sohn Withdraws FCC Nomination

Immediately, shopper champion and Federal Communications Fee nominee with greater than 30 years of expertise advocating for the general public curiosity, Gigi Sohn, withdrew her nomination to function a Commissioner. President Biden beforehand nominated Ms. Sohn in October of 2021. 

The company has not had a full five-member fee for the whole Biden administration, hamstringing key shopper safety priorities in addition to an enormous swath of our nation’s work to supply high-speed broadband to these on the incorrect aspect of the digital divide. Shedding such a stalwart shopper ally who has devoted her profession to increasing broadband entry, defending shopper privateness, and preventing for web neutrality can have critical ramifications for all shoppers within the years forward.

The next may be attributed to Chris Lewis, President and CEO of Public Information:

“We at Public Information are clearly disenchanted with this outcome. Gigi Sohn has been a tireless advocate and is a well-recognized knowledgeable in telecommunications coverage. To not be capable to discover a path ahead for her to serve on the Fee is a good loss. 

“However, as disenchanted as we’re, the American public must be outraged. The laborious work of the Fee to stop digital discrimination, to curb media consolidation, and to reinstate the FCC because the company with authority over broadband is misplaced by this failure. And that’s what that is: a failure by elected leaders in each events to prioritize these essential public curiosity protections. The incessant and appalling private assaults in opposition to Ms. Sohn, the outright lies about her character, and the misleading ways used to bully her can have ripple results for each the general public and every other nominees the Biden administration might wish to serve of their authorities. This units a harmful precedent.”

Members of the media might contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to hitch the Public Information press record at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.