Gigi Sohn withdraws FCC nomination

Public interest attorney Gigi Sohn is withdrawing her nomination to the FCC after a 16-month battle in which she endured relentless attacks from industry lobbyists and right-wing commentators.

“When I accepted his nomination more than 16 months ago, I could not have imagined that legions of cable and media industry lobbyists, their bought and paid proxies, and dark money political groups with endless pockets had twisted my 30+ year career. history as a consumer advocate in an absurd caricature of blatant lies,” Sohn wrote in a statement to the Washington Post. “The reckless, unjust and vicious attacks on my character and career as a public interest advocate have taken a heavy toll on me and my family.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “She has tremendous intellect and tremendous experience, and we thought and believed that she would be a … great candidate and an outstanding political official in this role .” It’s a shame and we’re sorry that it’s happening.”

The announcement of her withdrawal came after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has said he will vote against her, costing Democrats a crucial vote if her nomination makes it to the bottom.

Sohn underwent three hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee.

Sohn, a public interest advocate who served as the FCC’s special counsel during the Obama administration, has become a target of right-wing media, with figures such as Tucker Carlson angering her.

“It is a sad day for our country and our democracy as dominant industries receive aid
of unlimited black money, their regulators have a choice,” Sohn said in her statement. “And with the help of their friends in the Senate, the powerful cable and media companies have done just that.”

The FCC is deadlocked 2-2 between the parties, meaning the agency has avoided addressing more controversial issues like net neutrality and media consolidation.

Last month, before the Senate Commerce Committee, Sohn dismissed “false and misleading attacks on my record and my character” for the third time.

A Daily Mail story of guilt featured her board membership of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has often clashed with studios and media outlets over copyright issues, and her award to Mistress Blunt, a sex worker honored for her activism in the field of digital rights and technology policy. EFF told the Daily Mail that Sohn had no part in Blunt’s selection for the award.

Sohn also suggested that corporate lobbyists had deliberately worked to block her nomination, offsetting the FCC to counter tougher regulatory efforts.

In her statement, she said: “Unfortunately, the real losers here are Americans. The fallout at the FCC, which has now lasted more than two years, will continue for a long time. As someone who has spent my career advocating for affordable, accessible broadband for every American, it is ironic that the 2-2 FCC remains on the sidelines in the broadest broadband event of our lifetimes.”

Sohn would have been the first openly LGBTQ member to sit on the committee. She has received support from figures such as Newsmax’s Chris Ruddy and One America’s Charles Herring, who recognize her commitment to smaller media companies in a media conglomerate-dominated cable universe.

But figures like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) attacked Sohn as a partisan, citing some of her past tweets, including the one about Fox News. In announcing his opposition to Sohn, Manchin said in a statement: “Especially now, the FCC must rise above the toxic partisanship that Americans have had enough of, and Ms. Sohn has made it clear that she is not the person for it. is not.” “

She faced two hearings last year and her nomination passed on a 14-14 vote in the Senate Commerce Committee. But at the last convention it never came up. President Joe Biden renamed it earlier this year.

Lawmakers also raised questions about her involvement with a startup company called Locast. The nonprofit service provided streaming broadcast signals, but ceased operations after broadcast networks sued for copyright infringement and a federal judge ruled in their favor.

Sohn said last year that she would stay away from rebroadcast and broadcast rights issues for the first three years of her tenure. But lobbyists from other sectors of the industry, such as cable, said they should pull out of other sectors as well. As co-founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, she has spoken on a variety of Internet and media-related topics.

A spokesman for NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, the cable industry’s main lobbying arm, said it had no comment on Sohn’s withdrawal.

Chris Lewis, the group’s current president and CEO, said in a statement: “The relentless and appalling personal attacks against Ms. Sohn, the outright lies about her character and the deceptive tactics used to harass her will affect both. the public and any other candidates the Biden administration might want to use in his administration. It sets a dangerous precedent.”

Preston Toads, a former CEO of The Walt Disney Co. and Fox, endorsed Sohn’s nomination, although they disagreed on certain issues over the years. He wrote on Twitter: “The industry won. consumers lose.”