The Senate Commerce Committee passed the four FCC nominations to the full Senate on Wednesday. Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said: “The FCC impacts nearly every part of our lives and domestic economy.”
Noting the importance of moving the nominations along, she noted: “Whether the agency is focused on improving wireless communications, ensuring robust broadband deployment, reviewing the media marketplace or protecting the nation from foreign threats. The FCC’s oversight ensures that today’s hyper-connected environment works for consumers.”
Cantwell praised the nomination of Anna Gomez as an FCC Commissioner. If confirmed, not only would she be the first Latina on the Commission in more than 20 years, said Cantwell, Gomez has “demonstrated she has the experience and judgment to be highly effective in this role as Commissioner and has earned bipartisan support.”
She also praised the re-nominations of Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr. Cantwell said Starks “received much support because of many bipartisan telecommunications issues, broadband access and network security.”
Carr leads the Connected Care Pilot Program to support the delivery of high-quality telehealth to low-income Americans and veterans. “Commissioner Carr has pledged to be bipartisan in his role and to treat every entity that has a matter before the FCC in a manner that is fair, just and impartial,” noted Cantwell.
The quick voice vote was not unanimous, however. Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) opposed the Gomez nomination and the Starks re-nomination. He said Gomez, who President Biden nominated to fill the empty Democratic seat, “refused to disavow the heavy-handed Net Neutrality rules” and “like Starks, “gave non-committal answers to my requests to improve transparency and accountability at the FCC.”
Cruz also complained that the scheduling of the vote was rushed before the July 4th recess. “Confirming FCC Commissioners is a serious matter. I meet with them and ask questions. Unfortunately, many Senators on this committee did not have the same opportunity” to meet with Gomez, he said, and “requests to reschedule were not heeded.”
Several Republicans followed Cruz’s lead in opposing Democrats Gomez and Starks. In turn, two Democrats opposed the renomination of Carr, a Republican. No one opposed the nomination of Fara Damelin to be the agency’s Inspector General.
Cantwell said the nominees could go to the Senate floor for a vote before the August recess, reported Reuters.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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