The Senate confirmed on Thursday United States President Joe Biden's pick for the nominee for the Federal Communications Commission, ending a years-long deadlock and giving Democrats the power to carry out major agenda items.
Senators held a vote that resulted in 55-43 in support of confirming Gomez, an FCC veteran and communications policy adviser for the State Department. With the confirmation, Gomez will take the third Democratic seat on the five-member commission responsible for overseeing broadband and communications regulation.
Anna Gomez Confirmation
The decision to choose Gomez returns the agency to full strength for the first time under Biden's administration. The Democratic president's initial pick for the FCC was Gigi Sohn, who withdrew after a contentious 16-month confirmation battle.
The impasse had left the FCC without a Democratic majority for the entirety of Biden's administration until now. Additionally, consumer advocates argued that a two-and-a-half-year delay hurt the agency's ability to carry out critical tasks that sought to protect Americans from potential abuse by the telecom giants, as per the Washington Post.
These actions include reinstating the Obama-era net neutrality regulations, which prohibited internet service providers from blocking or throttling content online. Additionally, Gomez's confirmation could allow the agency to oversee the telecommunications sector more aggressively.
This is something that President Biden has called for in a 2021 executive order, which includes potentially imposing more stringent utility-style regulation under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.
When Biden nominated Sohn, an FCC alumna and a longtime consumer advocate, Senate Republicans sharply criticized him. They called him "partisan," citing her past remarks and social media activity on political matters. Furthermore, conservative groups mounted a campaign to tank Sohn's nomination.
Gomez has kept a low profile for much of her career and is now poised to help Chair Jessica Rosenworcel pass parts of the Biden administration's agenda without needing support from Republican commissioners, according to The Verge.
Full FCC Roster
Various advocacy groups, including Public Knowledge and Free Press that support expanded internet access and net neutrality praised the nomination of Gomez. In a statement, Jessica Gonzalez, the co-CEO of Free Press, said they waited far too long for a fully functional FCC.
On the other hand, Public Knowledge president and CEO Chris Lewis said that the recently confirmed FCC commissioner is "publicly committed to supporting FCC authority over broadband to preserve an open internet and close the digital divide."
Additionally, Gomez earned praise from telecoms, such as Verizon, whose senior vice president of federal regulatory and legal affairs, Will Johnson, said she has vast experience in telecommunications policy and a significant record of public service.
Rosenworcel led the agency following the unpopular tenure of Ajit Pai during the former administration's rule. The former focused on improving broadband access and updating space-related rules.
However, the lack of a complete roster of commissioners meant the agency was limited in what it could accomplish. Techcrunch said any issue with political points, such as net neutrality, would be expected to face a 2:2 deadlock.
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