Biden Administration Draws Criticism for Ignoring Stalled Gigi Sohn Nomination Despite Pledging High-Speed Internet Across America
In his State of the Union address before Congress Tuesday night, President Joe Biden touted his bipartisan infrastructure bill, saying it would help close America’s digital divide.
“These projects will engage hundreds of thousands of people to rebuild our highways, bridges, railroads, tunnels, ports and airports, clean water and high-speed internet across America,” Biden said in his speech.
“We make sure every community has access to affordable, high-speed internet,” the president added. “No parent should have to drive to a McDonald’s parking lot so their child can do their homework online.”
While Biden’s Infrastructure Act — along with recent COVID relief projects — has allocated an unprecedented amount of money to improve the nation’s broadband woes, there’s just one problem: Biden’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) election has still not been approved.
And before a packed Congress, including most of the senators who had to approve Gigi Sohn’s nomination for the FCC, Biden’s speech lacked any mention of Sohn or her stalled nomination.
In the text of Biden’s White House speech, the president makes no mention of Sohn or the deadlocked FCC, which is paralyzed in spending new funds approved by Congress.
In over two years since taking office, Biden has not had a fully staffed FCC, and Sohn’s nomination languished and first died after the 2022 Senate midterm election. There has been no further movement since Biden renamed it.
As it stands, a stuck FCC at 2-2 is less likely to be able to approve new broadband cards that will help even out the funds. An FCC without a democratic majority has also been unable to restore net neutrality or pursue large telecom monopolies that keep internet prices high and services lagging behind.
That said, without a nudge from the president to approve Sohn on the widest possible platform, his promise rings hollow.
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*Initial publication: February 7, 2023 at 8:57 pm CST
David Covucci
David Covucci is senior politics and technology editor at the Daily Dot, reporting on the connection between Washington and Silicon Valley. His work has appeared in Vice, The Huffington Post, Jezebel, Gothamist, and other publications. He is particularly interested in hearing your tips. Please turn to [email protected]
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