Some former Democratic members of Congress have joined what is increasingly a concerted effort to block the nomination of Gigi Sohn, President Joe Biden‘s nominee to the open Democratic seat on the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC presently stands at a 2-2 political tie, as it has been since before Biden took office.

A group called The One Country Project (OCP) said it has launched a six-figure ad campaign meant to “ensure that the FCC prioritizes rural broadband expansion and communities,” but in the next sentence defines the campaign as “aimed at raising awareness that the Biden administration’s [FCC] nominee, Gigi Sohn, is the wrong choice for the FCC and rural America.”

Sohn‘s nomination was not reported favorably out of the Senate Commerce Committee — it was a tie vote — and must be discharged from the committee by a full Senate vote before she can get a confirmation vote.

Some Industry Groups Urge Senate to Confirm Sohn

Among the project's leadership team are OCP founder Heidi Heitkamp, the former Democratic senator from North Dakota, and former Rep. Mike Espy, a Democrat and the first African-American elected from Mississippi since reconstruction.

“Given the significant progress that has been made in closing the rural digital divide in recent years, and all the important work that remains to fully close the gap, Gigi Sohn’s deeply cynical view of rural broadband is far less than what rural Americans need or deserve,“ Heitkamp said of the new ad campaign.

That view is not shared by a number of current high-profile Democratic legislators, including the leadership of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce Committee, who all strongly back Sohn.

Republicans and some opponents of broadband regulations have already been pushing back hard. They cite Sohn‘s support of network neutrality rules while in the public interest sector and at the FCC, where she was a top aide to Obama-era chairman Tom Wheeler, as well as her criticism of Fox News Channel on social media.

Others, like OCP, have latched on to comments she made in congressional testimony about policymakers focusing “disproportionately on broadband deployment in rural areas,” although that was by way of saying that urban area deficits — where affordability in lower-income areas is of concern — also deserve attention.

Also: Democrats Call for Seating Sohn at FCC

And while the project may have issues with Sohn on rural issues, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, does not. Back in January, NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield urged Congress to confirm Sohn, saying she was someone her association could work with on crucial issues such as closing the digital divide and the related issue of better mapping of broadband availability.

Sohn also has the backing of the Consumer Technology Association, which was allied with her on fair-use issues during her time atop Public Knowledge.

Sohn fans see the pushback on her nomination as part of a larger effort to keep the FCC from the Democratic majority that will allow it to take action on partisan issues, such as new network neutrality rules or media ownership regulations.

Similarly, the Federal Trade Commission is at a 2-2 tie, with Biden's nominee for the fifth Democratic seat, Alvaro Bedoya, getting similar pushback from Republicans and some in the computer industry over his criticism of Big Tech and its perceived anti-competitive conduct. ￭

It's official. The Senate has voted to confirm Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to a new, five-year term on the commission, her third term but first as chair — President Joe Biden designated her chair Oct. 26 after she had been acting chair since January.

The vote was 68 to 31.

Had the Senate not voted to confirm her, Rosenworcel would have had to leave the commission at the end of the year since her current term had expired. Commissioners are allowed to stay on through the end of the next Congress.

Also: Senate Vote to Proceed in Rosenworcel Nomination

The full-Senate vote came after a cloture vote Monday night (December 6) that also saw a majority of Republicans — 27  — vote against advancing her nomination to the floor (she recieved 66 “yea” votes). A number of Republicans and two Democrats, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), did not vote.

Rosenworcel will still need a third Democrat on the commission to tackle some of the politically divisive issues like re-regulation of broadcast and internet-service providers. Gigi Sohn has been nominated for that seat, but has had a tough time convincing Republicans to support her nomination, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in particular, who Monday (Dec. 6), signaled he would block the nomination.

“Chairwoman Rosenworcel has served as a tireless advocate for consumer protection in today’s digital landscape,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who spoke in support of her nomination before Monday's cloture vote. “Now more than ever, the FCC needs a chair who understands the importance of net neutrality and critical protections for broadband users, and I know chairwoman Rosenworcel is up for the task. She understands that broadband access is an essential utility to millions of small businesses, communities, and students, and has long partnered with me in addressing the ‘homework gap’ to ensure every student has internet connectivity to complete their homework at home. Together we worked to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund, providing $7.17 billion in E-Rate home connectivity funding across the country, including $47.5 million for Massachusetts to date. I know that Chairwoman Rosenworcel will continue to successfully administer this program, and I believe she is the best person to lead the FCC in its important work.”

“Jessica Rosenworcel will be a dynamic, determined enforcer and advocate for all consumers and underserved Americans,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who championed the nomination of his fellow Connecticut native. “As a vigorous consumer champion with deep roots in Connecticut, her confirmation is a historic step forward for both the FCC and our state," he said. "I’ve seen firsthand Chair Rosenworcel’s commitment to ending the scourge of robocalls and closing the digital divide that plagues far too many disadvantaged communities. As funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal goes to accessible high-speed internet, the FCC will now have an affordable broadband, net neutrality, and privacy champion leading implementation. I’ve been proud to advocate for her nomination as a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and I look forward to welcoming Chair Rosenworcel back to Connecticut as she continues her impressive work at the FCC.”

“Charter Congratulates chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on her confirmation to lead the Federal Communications Commission," said Charter EVP, government affairs, Catherine Bohigian. "Throughout her career in public service, Chairwoman Rosenworcel has proven herself a thoughtful leader and champion on behalf of consumers on the most pressing connectivity challenges such as closing the digital divide, eliminating the homework gap, improving public safety communications, increasing unlicensed spectrum for WiFi, and encouraging innovative spectrum policies. We look forward to continuing to work together on these and other important issues that will drive American innovation and connectivity forward.”

“I want to extend my congratulations to Chairwoman Rosenworcel on her confirmation by the Senate to serve another five-year term on the FCC,“ said Republican commissioner Brendan Carr. "Under her leadership, the FCC has taken significant steps towards eliminating the digital divide, increasing support for telehealth services and enhancing the security of America’s communications networks.  I have enjoyed working with chairwoman Rosenworcel over the past 12 months on a series of initiatives that have delivered results for the American people. I look forward to continuing this good work.”

“I congratulate my colleague chairwoman Rosenworcel on her confirmation to another five year term to serve on the FCC," said commissioner Nathan Simington, also a Republican. “Chairwoman Rosenworcel has ably led the Commission for the past year, and during that time we have achieved a number of significant, bipartisan objectives in the public interest. It is my hope and expectation that we will continue this vital work together in the years to come.”

A spokesperson for Sen. Thom Tillis signaled to Next TV late Monday that he will do his best to keep Democratic nominee Gigi Sohn off the Federal Communications Commission.

Also: Gigi Sohn‘s FCC Nomination Could Face Hold Threats

“Senator Tillis is going to do everything he can to stop Gigi Sohn’s confirmation, including putting a hold,” Tillis’s communications director, Adam Webb, said in an email.

Late last month, Tillis (R-N.C.), ranking member on the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee, asked President Joe Biden to withdraw Sohn's nomination, saying he had many concerns but copyright was chief among them.

Webb did say why the hold was being placed. In asking the president to withdraw her nomination, Tillis pointed to her “history as an anti-copyright activist” — including her support for TV signal streamer Locast, which a court said was not eligible for the copyright exemption it asserted. But he is also an opponent of Title II-based net neutrality rules and a source familiar with both issues said that Title II support was also a big factor.

In his letter to the president opposing Sohn, Tillis echoed broadcasters' concerns about Sohn's directorship role at TV station signal streamer Locast, whose business model of nonprofit streaming without paying a fee to content providers a court ruled violated copyright protections. “In Ms. Sohn’s current position at Georgetown's Institute for Technology and Law Policy,” he said, “she condemned media companies for trying to protect their content from unauthorized streaming from Locast.”

Sohn pointed out at her hearing that Locast was shuttered, its assets being sold, and would likely be history by year's end.

Tillis also complained about Sohn's role as advisor to then-FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, whom she advised to open up cable set-top boxes “in ways that would guarantee a surge in piracy,” the senator said.

Wheeler did tee up an open set-top box proposal in 2016, but failed to secure the necessary three Democratic votes, in part because then commissioner Jessica Rosenworce, now acting chair, did not agree with Wheeler’s approach.

Tillis said that as someone who believes in strong intellectual property protections, Sohn's record is disqualifying. ■

Gigi Sohn, former top counselor to former FCC chair Tom Wheeler, says his successor, Ajit Pai, should be fired.

In an op ed for The Verge, Sohn wrote that if her readers "believe communications networks should be fast, fair, open and affordable, you need to ask your senator to vote against Pai’s reconfirmation. Now."

The op ed came just as Congress is about to take up Pai's nomination.

Related: Sen. Cantwell Speaks Out Against Pai Renomination

Pai could get a vote on his confirmation to a new, five-year term -- retroactive to June 2016 -- as early as this week, and likely by Monday (Oct. 2).

Sohn, who was counselor to Wheeler for three years, said the vote on Pai would be a "stark referendum" on communications networks and consumer protections.

She said that while Pai was a nice guy to have a beer with, his FCC record meant "real danger" for consumers and the internet.

Sohn was a big booster for the Title II reclassification of ISPS, as well as a strong critic of Pai's proposal to reverse that classification.

She is also a critic of the Sinclair-Tribune merger proposal, and says Pai's "gifts" to Sinclair -- restoring the UHF discount, for one, she says -- "have gone wildly beyond mere deregulation."

Pai has long promised to take a weed whacker to the regulatory underbrush, and has pledged monthly meeting items targeting what he sees as outmoded or unnecessary regs.

Cable networks will look to build on the momentum created for the genre by recent projects including FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson with limited series and specials of their own pulled from the pages of history.

HBO will tackle the 1990s controversy surrounding Anita Hill’s sex-discrimination charges levied during the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas with the Saturday (April 16) premiere of original move Confirmation. It will also dig into President Lyndon B. Johnson’s first year in office with the May 21 telefilm All the Way.

On the dramatic-series side, Sundance TV will examine the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland on centenary Sunday, April 24, with the limited series Rebellion.

And A&E on Memorial Day (May 30) will premiere the four-episode remake of 1970’s slavery-themed miniseries Roots.

The projects follow the recent ratings success of high-profile, history-themed projects. FX’s 10-part series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson drew 3.9 million viewers (per Nielsen live-plus-same-day ratings) for its finale April 5 after generating a network-record 5.1 million viewers (also on a live-plus-same-day basis) for the Feb. 2 series premiere.

The retelling of the infamous 1995 Simpson murder trial also generated significant press coverage and social-media buzz that helped build awareness and ratings.

WGN America set a network ratings record with the March 4 premiere of original drama series Underground — the story of slaves escaping bondage along the 19th century Underground Railroad — drawing 1.4 million viewers.

Network executives said the success of The People v. O.J Simpson and Underground are helping to build momentum for a genre that appeals both to older viewers and hard-to-reach younger watchers.

“The appeal of television it its ability to transport you into a story, and to be able to do that across time and go to early 20th century Ireland, or even just back to the 1990s to the O.J Simpson trial, is almost like time-traveling and immersing yourself in that time and place,” said Jan Diedrichsen, executive director of SundanceTV. “That has incredible appeal to viewers of all ages.”

Rebellion, which dramatizes Ireland’s fight for independence through the eyes of three women and their families, is a departure from the network’s mostly fiction-based scripted series. But Diedrichsen said the series fits the SundanceTV brand because it tells a strong and compelling story through well-developed, engaging and relatable characters.

Its historical backdrop is an added benefit for viewers, Diedrichsen said. “Viewers know the ending to the story — the Irish gained their independence — but you’re watching this story and experiencing history differently than reading about it. That allows you to connect and identify with the characters, because you know more than the characters know.”

History, which has scored in the past with shows such as Texas Rising, Hatfields & McCoys and The Bible, will look to draw viewers to its remake of Roots, a remake of the 1977 ABC miniseries based on Alex Haley’s best-selling novel about the journey of an African-American family through slavery. The four-night, eight-hour series will premiere May 30 on A+E Networks outlets History, A&E and Lifetime.

With viewers looking to the past to see how its events shaped today’s issues, the genre is as popular now as ever, History general manager Jana Bennett said.

“It’s not accidental that there’s been some success with shows that look at real stories, rather than just fictional depictions, and that’s true of O.J., Underground and [Netflix’s drug-themed series] Narcos,” she said. “I think the audience is really up to seeing the real story of how did we get here and looking at the bigger questions of what’s the context of where we are now, and how it reflects history.

“There’s a real need among viewers for a change of pace from the acceleration of today’s technology-driven environment and an appetite for history, which helps to answer the question of how we got here in the first place,” Bennett said.

FX on Tuesday (Feb. 2) will premiere a new, scripted series focused a true-to-life, high-profile criminal trial with racial overtones: specifically, the case of an African-American man accused of murder amid the shadow of alleged police misconduct.

It’s a scenario that might have been ripped from today’s headlines, but FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story takes its cue from the trial of the former National Football League star, held more than 20 years ago.

As issues of race continue to influence the country’s discourse on politics, crime and punishment and entertainment — the recent flap over the lack of diversity in nominations in high-profile Oscar categories comes to mind — cable networks look to tap a growing interest in scripted content that reflects real-life African-American stories and people both past and present.

RELATED:Channeling Cochran, 20 Years Later: Courtney B. Vance on How Time Will Bring Perspective to ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’

UNDER-TOLD TALES

From the highly-anticipated People v. O.J. Simpson, to History’s upcoming remake of Roots to WGN America’s Underground, which depicts slaves escaping along the 19th century’s “Underground Railroad,” networks are offering true stories that most viewers will recognize, but haven’t been fully explored either on the small screen or in highschool history books.

In many cases, they feature common threads that tie into the complex issues of race facing the nation today.

“Black is the new black,” Stephen Hill, BET’s president of programming, said. “There’s a variety of stories being told on a lot of different platforms, so it’s an exciting time for this kind of television, and it makes everyone step their game up.”

Indeed, original series and movies featuring real-life African-American themes have recently garnered both ratings success and industry awards:

• HBO’s Bessie took home four 2015 Emmy Awards last September, including one for best television movie, and garnered Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild award nominations for lead actress Queen Latifah’s portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith.

• Lifetime’s Jan. 23 original movie Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, a biography of the popular contemporary rhythm and blues singer, drew 3.6 million viewers and was the most-watched original cable movie among adults 25-54 and women 18-49 since Whitney, Lifetime’s Whitney Houston biopic, in January 2015.

• Book of Negroes, BET’s six-part miniseries airing in February 2015, drew more than 13 million viewers across multiple platforms during its run. It was also the most-watched miniseries by African- American audiences across key demos.

Another half-dozen cable original series, miniseries and movies based on true-life African-American stories are slated to debut later this year or are in development.

CRIME, PUNISHMENT, RACE

As entertainment projects featuring mainly African-American casts gain critical and audience success, there’s been more interest in shows with historical themes related to the black experience in America, executives said.

“If you look at the landscape today, TV shows like Empire to theatrical films like Creed and Straight Outta Compton have been huge commercial successes,” FX Networks and FX Productions CEO John Landgraf said. “I think there’s now a greater willingness to embrace more content with African-American themes and perspective.”

Shows such as The People v. O.J. Simpson appeal across audience demographics because they touch on hot-button issues of crime, punishment and race that the U.S. is still wrestling with, Landgraf said.

Viewers are also fascinated by true stories that challenge the perceptions and realities of the criminal justice system, as evidenced by interest in such shows as HBO’s The Jinx and Netflix’s Making of a Murderer.

“I think O.J. is about this moment in time right now, and the debate going on in the United States about how equitable our society is or is not, and includes a specific focus inside the debate about the equity within the criminal justice system,” Landgraf said. “In general, we’re interested in the weakness and the strengths of our own criminal justice system. They speak to the flaws of our system and potential police misconduct, but also, frankly, to the weaknesses of juries as well.”

TV movies like Bessie or HBO’s upcoming Confirmation — which depicts Anita Hill’s sex-discrimination charges levied during the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — are strong stories of a type that has received little TV fanfare, but with universal storylines that appeal to all viewers, HBO Films president Len Amato said.

UNDERSERVED AUDIENCES

It also helps that these shows appeal to a still-underserved African- American audience that watches more TV than any other ethnic group. African-Americans watched 43 hours of live TV per week during the second quarter of 2015, compared with 24 hours by Hispanics and 16 hours for Asian-Americans.

“First and foremost, people are looking for a good story, because those are color-blind,” Amato said. “Then, you’re reaching audiences that are underserved. Even if you don’t have a progressive bone in your body that cares about diversity, just on that level alone, where the rubber meets the road, it’s good business.”

Plus, younger viewers who might not know the gritty details of the O.J. Simpson saga or about the Underground Railroad can identify with the storylines and plots.

“So many people don’t know the Anita Hill story — it’s not exactly something that’s pushed in the history books — so if it brings the story to a new generation and they gain some insight, or they take pride in the fact that a situation like this could lead to empowerment, [that] is good,” Amato said.

The trial of O.J Simpson, as portrayed in the FX series (see related Q&A), set the stage for much of what we see on TV today, Landgraf said.

“It’s the mother of all true reality stories; it is the beginning of the 24-hour news cycle and of crime as infotainment,” he said. “Most young people believe that the most fascinating, crazy stuff that’s ever happened in the world of reality television has happened in their lifetime and, when they see this, they’re going to realize that many of the things that happened during this trial [are] still the craziest thing that’s ever happened to reality TV.

“It gave rise to the media environment in which young people have lived their entire lives,” Landgraf said.

Underground (premiering Wednesday, March 9) was more about telling a good story than teaching a history lesson, WGN America president and general manager Matt Cherniss said.

Though the characters in Underground are fictional, the series stays true to the documented history surrounding the Underground Railroad, the 19th-century network of secret escape routes and safe houses used by runaway slaves.

“Obviously, it’s a controversial time period and it’s a subject matter that’s sensitive and takes a high level of execution and care when you approach it,” Cherniss said. “But when I read the script, I just read a great adventure and not a period piece.

“Too often to this point, people have looked at that particular time period and felt that it needed to be honored in such a way that there wasn’t an opportunity to insert a bit of genre into the storytelling,” he added.

The fact that the pilot includes a Kanye West song — procured under the watchful eye of executive producer John Legend — also can’t hurt in reaching millennials, even if the series is set some 150 years before the hip hop superstar was born.

MORE IN THE PIPELINE

As demand across numerous platforms for diverse, scripted content continues to grow, networks see room to make more stories based on what they call the treasure trove of good, true-life African-American themed stories that have yet to be told.

Along with History’s retelling of the classic miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley, HBO in May will debut the original movie All the Way, which chronicles the relationship between President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement.

BET is developing biographical movies on the R&B music group New Edition and on former South African president Nelson Mandela.

“People like to know that what they’re seeing has some basis in the truth,” BET’s Hill said. “Also, with these projects you get to see what’s behind the curtain of stories that you already know the beginning, middle and end of.”

Added WGN America’s Cherniss, “Having many more outlets out there creating original content and looking at things that are distinctive as far as the subject matter is concerned does provide a broader landscape for different stories to be told.”

Black History Month: What to Watch

A sampling of shows set to air in February

Feb. 1

Change Agents: History in the Making(short films)

TV One

Feb. 2

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story(limited series)

FX

Feb. 3

Preachers of Atlanta(reality series)

Oxygen

Feb. 5

47th Annual NAACP Image Awards

TV One

Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to ‘Off The Wall’(documentary)

Showtime

Feb. 9

Here We Go Again (series)

TV One

Feb. 10

The Next 15(reality series)

TV One

Feb. 13

SportsCenter on the Road From Hampton University(special)

ESPN

Feb. 14

Rise Up: SportsCenter Black History Month Special(special)

ESPN

Feb. 24

About the Business(reality series)

BET

Feb. 29

Major League Legends: Hank Aaron(special episode of docuseries)

Smithsonian Channel

Hate in America(documentary)

Investigation Discovery

Also This Month:

• Disney XD and Disney Channel will run a documentary-style interstitial that illustrates the bravery of young African-Americans through the lens of Cameron Boyce (Descendants) and his timeless hero, Jo-Ann Boyce — his grandmother, who was one of the Clinton 12, a group of 12 black Tennessee teens who were the first to integrate into an all-white high school in the South in 1956, following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

• Music Choice will offer a package of music videos dubbed “The New Classics,” including videos from Drake, Fetty Wap and Rihanna, as well as videos from the soundtracks of popular black movies such as Straight Outta Compton.