Republicans are lining up against one of Biden’s long-awaited picks for the FCC — which means the outcome of this White House priority could come down, once again, to Manchin and Sinema
Democrats have precious little floor time to get the nominations through by year’s end — on top of their December deadlines for avoiding a government shutdown or U.S. debt default, or their efforts to enact Biden’s infrastructure and social spending bills.Evan Greer, who helps helm the progressive tech advocacy group Fight for the Future, said she believes Sohn could even score some GOP votes.
The main GOP concern about Sohn is the same one that bedeviled the final hours of this summer’s infrastructure bill negotiations: the prospect that Democrats may want to regulate the prices that broadband providers like Comcast charge customers. That possibility is one reason Republicans have spent years opposing net neutrality, which they worry would lead to the FCC assuming more regulatory power over broadband networks.
Sohn’s nomination is “more problematic” for Republicans than Rosenworcel’s, said Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, which will vet both nominees. In an interview, he said Sohn’s past statements and positions “could prove to be of concern to members of the committee.”
And even if a handful of Republicans were to back Sohn, they would probably do so only on top of unified Democratic caucus support to avoid clinching the confirmation and a subsequent FCC Democratic majority, one veteran telecom policy observer told POLITICO, requesting anonymity to speak frankly. “The moderate Democrats are critical,” the observer added.
Even if the Senate fast-tracks Rosenworcel, the FCC would remain under its existing 2-2 deadlock unless Sohn also wins confirmation. Rosenworcel, a Democratic commissioner since 2012 and previously a top Senate aide to former Senate Commerce Chair Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, has named connecting students to broadband as her top priority. She mostly avoided partisan crossfire during the nine months she spent as acting FCC chair this year, reaching across the aisle to set up multibillion dollar pandemic relief subsidy programs.