We Need Gigi Sohn on the Federal Communications Commission Now
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Call Script
My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
To our Senators:
We need you to support the efforts of your Commerce Committee colleagues to advance the confirmation of Gigi Sohn for the Federal Communications Commission. Her presence on the FCC is essential to ensuring that the Commission represents the interests of the American people versus the giant, transnational cable and telecommunication companies. And thank you for your consistent, concerted efforts as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm judges to diversify our federal bench.
To President Biden:
Thank you for nominating the very well qualified Gigi Sohn to support the interests of We The People on the FCC. We need her experience and voice on the FCC to balance the powerful cable and telecommunications giants with our own.
Background
Advocacy groups like the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Common Cause, Demand Progress, Electronic Frontier Foundation, GLAAD, and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance have written to the Senate Commerce Committee in support of the nomination of Gigi Sohn to be an FCC Commissioner. They also called out the latest raft of bigoted attacks on the nominee, who would be the first openly gay commissioner in history. (See their full letters in the References section.)
President Biden and Democratic senators have remained firm in support of Sohn, who has the qualifications needed to fulfill their commitment to digital democracy. We need to actively support this nominee. Without a fifth member, the FCC remains at a 2-2 stalemate on a range of issues, effectively blocking action on net neutrality and progress on issues like expansion of broadband access. As Demand Progress notes: “The deadlock leaves Comcast and the rest of the telecom industry with far less oversight — just the way it prefers.”
Comcast surrogates have pushed a shameless campaign against Sohn for over a year now, and right-wing outlets like Fox News and Breitbart have lobbed personal attacks at her. It’s gotten so bad that a former executive for Disney and Fox came forward to condemn the attacks as “the worst, and most cynical and baseless smear campaign ever waged against a nominee to serve on the FCC." On Tuesday, Gigi Sohn stood up to attackers like Ted Cruz at her latest confirmation hearing, proving once again that she’s exactly the right person to take on Comcast and the rest of Big Cable.
Another reason MAGA “Only The Best People” Republicans oppose her nomination is that she has called Fox News dangerous to our democracy. Just last week, court records from Dominion Voting Machines' lawsuit against Fox News were revealed, in which its commentators acknowledged their awareness that they were peddling lies about the 2020 election on air. Sean Hannity, for example, was quoted on air as saying, “Trump won the 2020 election. It was stolen from him,” while in court, under oath in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox, he said, “I never believed for a second Trump won the 2020 election.”
References
Demand Progress Joins Civil Rights Groups in Support of Gigi Sohn to Serve as FCC Commissioner, 2/14/2023. (Link redirects to PDF of their letter in a few seconds)
Demand Progress, Allies Sign Letter in Support of Gigi Sohn, Condemn Homophobic Attacks, 2/07/2023. (Link redirects to PDF of their letter in a few seconds)
Gigi Sohn returns to Congress for a third try at securing empty FCC chair - The Verge, 2/14/2023
Sohn blames 'dark money' for opposition to her joining FCC - Roll Call, 2/14/2023
GOP senators push back at Biden’s FCC nominee during third hearing | The Hill,, 2/14/2023
Fox News has been exposed as a dishonest organization terrified of its own audience | CNN Business, 2/17/2023
We Can Stop Pretending Fox News is a Reputable Outlet Now, 2/17/2023, Charles P. Pierce
President Biden nominates Gigi Sohn L'86 to the Federal Communications Commission, Penn Carey Law, 10/26/2021