Citing “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks,” President Biden’s nominee for the FCC, Gigi Sohn, withdrew her name from consideration late yesterday. Sohn’s decision follows a contentious 16-month lobbying battle to appoint her to the Commission.
The White House nominated Sohn in October 2021, which was followed by three Senate confirmation hearings. Opponents to her nomination, according to the Washington Post, described her as “extreme” and “partisan” using billboard ads and social media outlets to voice their opinions.
“The unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks on my character and my career as an advocate for the public interest have taken an enormous toll on me and my family,” Sohn said in an issued statement. “This means that your broadband will be more expensive for lack of competition, minority and underrepresented voices will be marginalized, and your private information will continue to be used and sold at the whim of your broadband provider,” she added.
Prior to her withdrawal, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced she would not get his vote stating she held “partisan alliances with far-left groups.” “Especially now,” Manchin said in a statement, “the FCC must remain above the toxic partisanship that Americans are sick and tired of, and Ms. Sohn has clearly shown she is not the person to do that.”
The White House said they currently have no replacement for nomination at this point. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We appreciate Gigi Sohn’s candidacy for this important role. She would have brought tremendous intellect and experience, which is why the president nominated her in the first place.”
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