Update: This one woman, Gigi Sohn, poses such a threat to telecom giants AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and Charter, that their lobbyists are pulling out all the stops to smear her, as reported here. Watchdog site TechDirt.com has identified four Democratic senators (Manchin, Sinema, Kelly, Cortes Masto) who the telecom lobby are targeting for a “NO” vote. Although these industries have reportedly created entirely fake consumer or civil rights groups, it appears that they may be “co-opting” partnered organizations like LULAC, all to prevent this one woman from restoring meaningful federal oversight of their industry.
FIRE UP YOUR PHONES! Call your Senators to vote for Gigi Sohn For FCC NOW!
Minimal script for our own senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Sen. [__] to confirm Gigi Sohn for FCC chair! She’s a strong advocate for net neutrality, and personal and data privacy, issues important to me and every American.
More script if you want it:
- She can break the toxic deadlock that favors telecom giants, repair the damage to net neutrality done under the Trump administration and tackle the issues behind the growing number of underserved and uhappy cable customers.
- We’re tired of corporate media that does not inform, does not share a diversity of views, that creates news deserts. News is a public good and cannot be provided with the quality we require by a commercialized system. Gigi Sohn will be a strong voice for constituents. We need an FCC that represents the interests of the people and not the deep pocketed lobbyists of media conglomerates, who are not constituents.
- Sohn makes sense because she is an avowed advocate for the public. Voters want and would benefit from anti-consolidation. We know that the healthiest democracies in the world publicly fund media at a much higher level than our country. We believe she will be a voice advocating for public media.
- All American voters deserve someone who will push back against the deep pocketed lobbying by telecommunications companies who prefer, and have achieved, essentially zero regulation.
Background on Gigi Sohn:
We were glad to see President Biden renominate Gigi Sohn for the Federal Communications Commission, despite calls from Republicans to withdraw her nomination and after Senate Democrats failed to advance her nomination in committee last year.
The FCC needs forceful advocates for competition and innovation. Citizens need a strong FCC that will advocate for the restoration of Net Neutrality and take on media conglomerates that control 90% of what we see and hear. We desperately need people with both the wisdom and the drive to reign in the dangerous combination of monopolistic media, irresponsible platforms, and radicals willing to take advantage of both.
Those who are opposing Sohn are motivated and calling, and we have to be more motivated than they are. Our Senators need as many supportive calls as possible.
Gigi Sohn (@gigibsohn) is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate. She is one of the nation’s leading public advocates for open, affordable and democratic communications networks. For 30 years, Gigi has worked to defend and preserve the fundamental competition and innovation policies that have made broadband Internet access more ubiquitous, competitive, affordable, open and protective of user privacy.
“Sohn has been endorsed by nearly 250 organizations from across the political spectrum, including OTI, public safety officials, labor unions, civil rights organizations, and conservatives. President Biden nominated Sohn to fill the vacant fifth seat on the FCC, which has been deadlocked 2-2 since January 2021….Gigi Sohn is an exceptionally qualified nominee and it’s time to confirm her. We need a fully functioning FCC.”
- From 2013-2016, Gigi was Counselor to the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler.
- From 2001-2013, Gigi served as the Co-Founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, a leading telecommunications, media and technology policy advocacy organization.
- She was previously a Project Specialist in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture unit and Executive Director of the Media Access Project, a public interest law firm.
- Gigi holds a BS in Broadcasting and Film, Summa Cum Laude from the Boston University College of Communication and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
(Quote source from Facebook post here.)
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 