A Democratic majority at the FCC will have to wait a little longer, following the Senate Commerce Committee’s decision to pull votes on FCC pick Gigi Sohn from a slate of markup votes yesterday.
Committee member Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) was hospitalized following a stroke and Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) told Politico the panel can’t hold votes on nominees that might require party-line votes. With Lujan, the committee is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
The delay could mean more scrutiny for Sohn. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the ranking member on the Commerce Committee, has pushed for weeks for another hearing on Sohn to review some of her past media advocacy and roles, reported Fox.
But the unexpected delay now has Cantwell warming to the idea, as well as urging more one-on-one meetings between senators and Sohn. “A lot of members didn’t meet with Gigi before, even though she had multiple requests in to them,” Cantwell told Politico. “I think now that there’s a recusal, they’ll hopefully meet with her and we’ll see if we can get some bipartisan support.” The committee will reportedly hold a hearing February 9.
Last week, Sohn publicized her intention to voluntarily and temporarily recuse herself from certain media proceedings as a result of a 2010 petition she signed. That would keep her from weighing in on issues involving the rules that govern how cable and satellite providers pay broadcasters for their content, Inside Towers reported.
But the recusal had repercussions. USTelecom complained to the committee that Sohn’s recusal pledge impacts other industries and future FCC nominees. NCTA, representing cable providers, also complained, saying the recusal amounts to special treatment for one industry — broadcasters.
Wicker, too, was troubled by the pledge, Fox reported. “The possibility of the nominee’s future financial liability to a number of companies regulated by the FCC, and the timing of this settlement in relation to her nomination, demands a full discussion by the committee to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the ability for this nominee to act without any cloud of ethical doubt,” he said in a statement last month.
Sohn was a co-founder of advocacy group Public Knowledge. She has said she specifically recused herself from broadcast issues due to her more recent involvement with shuttered TV streaming service Locast, Inside Towers noted.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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