President Joe Biden has announced that he plans to nominate Anna Gomez to serve as an FCC Commissioner.
Currently, Gomez is a Senior Advisor to the State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. She previously served as the Deputy Administrator for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and held a variety of roles at the FCC over the course of a twelve-year tenure.
Gomez’s confirmation will come on the heels of the withdrawn nomination of Gigi Sohn. After a sixteen-month lobbying fight, Sohn’s nomination was withdrawn on March 7, 2023. The Commission has been operating with a 2-2 party balance, creating uncertainty in a variety of telecommunications policy issues such as net-neutrality and the Next Gen TV Rollout.
In addition to the nomination of new Commissioner Anna Gomez, President Biden also announced the re-nomination of current commissioners Geoffrey Starks (D) and Brendan Carr (R). If Gomez is confirmed, and Starks and Carr’s re-nominations are successful, then the Commissioner seats will be fully staffed. Democrats will hold three of its five seats. Commentators have noted that the shift to a 3-2 majority and the full staffing of the Commissioners is likely to bring a new wave of Commission activity and policy-making.
As always, FHH attorneys are here to help keep you up to date on any Commission policy changes. For the latest on the FCC Commission nominations, remember to check CommLawBlog.