Fans in the association sphere called on the Senate to confirm Democratic nominee Gigi Sohn to fill the fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission, which has been vacant for well over a year.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the associations — comprising the Consumer Technology Association, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Chamber of Progress, CompTIA, the Internet Infrastructure Coalition, INCOMPAS and NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association — acknowledged the Senate had a lot on its plate with “pressing national issues.” Nonetheless, they urged senators to end debate over Sohn’s nomination — a discharge vote is akin to a cloture vote, allowing for a final vote on a bill or nomination.

While the trade groups back Sohn, they also suggested ending debate was about just having a functioning — as in fully staffed — FCC “to advance regulatory items critical to our ability to help promote a strong economy and maintain our nation’s competitiveness.”

Also: Sohn Nomination Backed by Ex-FCC Homeland Security Bureau Chiefs

They also evoked some of the pressing issues the Senate is dealing with, like what to do about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its censorship of coverage critical of the war. “The absence of a fifth commissioner hamstrings the agency when U.S. leadership on technology policy is most needed,” they said. “As authoritarian regimes around the world move to supplant U.S. leadership and restrict access to an open and free internet, we must ensure the U.S. government is well-positioned to thoroughly consider and advance policies that promote democratic values.“

The Senate has yet to vote to discharge Sohn’s nomination from the Senate Commerce Committee after a tie vote out of the panel. The tie vote means Sohn was not favorably reported, so a Senate vote is required to discharge the nomination from committee before it can move to a final vote.

Republicans have been pushing back hard on Sohn's nomination, citing her criticism of Fox News Channel and past stands on intellectual property and net neutrality. But some Sohn fans see other forces at work, including a general Republican effort to slow roll key nominees until the midterm elections and broadband companies trying to delay the return of net neutrality rules under Title II of the Communications Act. 

The Senate last week voted to discharge Federal Trade Commission nominee Alvaro Bedoya after his vote in committee was also tied, but that Bedoya vote required Vice President Kamala Harris to weigh in since the discharge vote was also tied 50-50. The Senate has yet to take a final confirmation vote on Bedoya.

Sohn’s discharge vote, if and when it happens, might also need a nod from the VP.

Like Bedoya, Sohn represents the Democratic majority the Biden administration needs to move on politically divided issues such as media ownership regulations and restoring net neutrality rules. ▪️

Supporters of Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn continue to push for her swift confirmation to the commission's fifth seat.

The latest is Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, who joins former top Fox executive Preston Padden, Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro and a trio of former top FCC officials this week in advocating for her.

Sohn is a former top advisor to then-Democratic FCC chairman Tom Wheeler and is the former head of Public Knowledge.

Also: Former FCC Bureau Chiefs Back Sohn for FCC

“I urge Congress to move forward with the nomination of Sohn as the fifth commissioner to the FCC,” Bloomfield said in an online op-ed. "Her confirmation is critical to ensuring all hands will be on deck as the FCC considers the future of universal service and builds upon its efforts to get and keep every American connected."

Bloomfield signaled Sohn is 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.

Also: Sohn Has Issues with Net Neutrality General Conduct Standard

“Throughout her career, whether as senior staff at the FCC or working with various organizations and in academia, Sohn has consistently demonstrated thoughtfulness and pragmatism in approaching difficult questions and a willingness to engage with stakeholders of all kinds to discuss and debate these issues,“ Bloomfield said.

President Joe Biden resubmitted Sohn“s nomination to the Senate this week. She already had a confirmation hearing, but the Senate Commerce Committee did not vote on her nomination and it needed to be submitted to the new session of Congress.

She must get a committee vote and full Senate approval before the FCC will have the 3-2 Democratic majority it will need to weigh into issues like net neutrality and broadcast regulation. ■

A bipartisan bill has been introduced to speed broadband deployments by cutting right-of-way "red tape" in rural communities.

Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) have teamed up to introduce the Accelerating Rural Broadband Deployment Act, which they said will lead to easier and faster broadband installations.

Also Read: Rep. Delgado Introduces Broadband Bills

Specifically, the bill would:

1. "Make it easier for broadband companies to receive federal-right-of-way licenses allowing them to install broadband alongside existing infrastructure like federal highways.

2. "Ensure costs of federal-right-of-way licenses are fair market prices.

3. "Increase transparency into the federal right-of-way license awarding process. "

The bill drew praise from industry.

“We commend Sens. Daines and Kelly on introducing the Accelerating Rural Broadband Deployment Act, legislation that would accelerate broadband deployment by streamlining access to federal rights-of-way," said NCTA-The Internet & Television Association. "To ensure that all Americans have access to the internet, federal policy should not only consider subsidizing network construction to reach unserved households, but should equally focus on removing barriers to broadband deployment – such as existing obstacles that prevent timely access to federal lands and buildings – that slow private expansion efforts. We look forward to working with the sponsors and other members on this bipartisan bill.”

Flip the initials to NTCA (for NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, and the sentiment is still the same. 

“High costs are a large enough barrier to deploying broadband service to rural areas without adding costly, time consuming processes for gaining access to federal lands," said NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield. "On behalf of NTCA’s members, I applaud Senators Daines and Kelly for introducing the Accelerating Rural Broadband Deployment Act to ensure that providers can gain timely approval to access federal rights of way for deploying high-speed broadband networks. This legislation will make it easier to deploy essential broadband service to some of the hardest to reach areas of our country."

Also Read: Sen. Wicker Wants FCC Oversight Hearing on Broadband Mapping

“We all agree on the need to extend broadband infrastructure deeper into unserved parts of rural America, but too often our network innovators bump into red tape and outdated rules that can make construction slow, inefficient or nearly impossible," said Jonathan Spalter, CEO of USTelecom-The Broadband Association. "This is a common sense approach to increase high-speed connectivity from Senators Daines and Kelly. This plan expedites access to federal rights-of-way and streamlines the building process in service of a universal, bipartisan goal: bring the power and promise of broadband connectivity – the 21st century’s indispensable resource – to every corner of the country.”