Several telecom-related trade organizations urged Congress to quickly fill the empty fifth seat at the FCC and re-confirm two Commissioners. President Biden recently nominated State Department employee Anna Gomez to fill the third Democratic Commissioner slot, and re-nominated Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks to the agency.
INCOMPAS, the internet and competitive networks association, led NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, the Consumer Technology Association, ACT: The App Association, Technet and the Chamber of Progress, in a letter to the chair and ranking members of the Senate Commerce Committee that will vet the nominees. The groups told Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX), that combined, their members include established and ascending companies in consumer-facing and business-to-business technologies, software, information and education services, as well as emerging technologies such as virtual reality and AI, supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
“Our members rely on a functioning FCC that is fully staffed at the Commissioner level to advance policy issues critical to our ability to help promote a strong economy and maintain our nation’s competitiveness,” the associations said. They called Carr and Starks “proven leaders and dedicated public servants who warrant swift reconfirmations.”
Of Gomez, the associations characterized her as “highly qualified” for the position of FCC Commissioner, having worked at both the FCC and NTIA. They stressed her experience in telecommunications and technology policy and “a long record of seeking bipartisan solutions.”
“We need a fully functioning FCC to advance our goals of bridging the digital divide and connecting every American to affordable, high-speed broadband,” stressed the lobbying groups. “Given the upcoming expiration of the sitting Commissioners’ terms, and the importance of filling the fifth Commissioner slot that has remained vacant for far too long, we encourage the Committee to hold a joint hearing for the three nominees as quickly as possible and to advance their nominations.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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