On Thursday afternoon, Anna Gomez was confirmed as the fifth Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, filling a long-vacant seat and marking the first Latina appointment to the role in two decades. The vote made waves across the capitol, with major political players weighing in.
NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt commented, “NAB congratulates Anna Gomez on her confirmation to the Federal Communications Commission. Her wealth of experience in telecommunications policymaking will help the FCC address the critical issues facing radio and television broadcasters. NAB looks forward to working with Ms. Gomez and a fully seated Commission to provide the regulatory certainty, modernization and flexibility that will enable local broadcasting to thrive and enhance our service to tens of millions of American every day.”
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) also praised Gomez’s confirmation at length, saying, “For nearly 1,000 days, the Biden administration has gone without a full slate of commissioners on the FCC. Today, I was proud to cast my vote to confirm President Biden’s nominee Anna Gomez as the fifth commissioner on the Commission—delivering a Democratic majority that will make critical progress on the communications challenges communities across the country face. This new majority will finally be able to use the FCC’s authority to restore their rightful authority over broadband internet access, expand accessibility features for people with disabilities, protect community-run media, and keep students at home connected to the internet and the classroom.
“The challenges we face are too great for the FCC to face alone. We need laws on the books that empower regulators and protect consumers. I look forward to partnering with Chairwoman Rosenworcel, Commissioner Starks, and Ms. Gomez in our shared fight to undo the damage of the Trump-era FCC by restoring net neutrality protections and protecting consumers from another Republican assault on the free and open internet. In the coming weeks, I also plan to reintroduce my legislation to restore net neutrality so we can ensure that broadband is treated as an essential utility.”
Of course, not everyone was happy about the 55-43 vote, including Sen. Markey’s co-sponsor on the AM For Every Vehicle Act, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). In an impassioned talk immediately preceding the floor vote, he railed against Gomez’s alleged “far-left” ties, saying her placement on the FCC, “would enable them to impose a radical left-wing agenda, including investment-killing so-called net neutrality rules—otherwise known as ‘Obamacare for the Internet.’”
Sen. Cruz referenced recent TV troubles addressed by the FCC, saying the Commission, “is now entertaining requests by radical left-wing groups to revoke a broadcast station’s license for alleged ‘misinformation’ and turning a routine FCC license renewal proceeding into a truth commission—an alarming assault on the First Amendment … and that’s without a Democrat majority on the FCC. With a majority, there’s no telling what regulatory excesses the Chairwoman [Rosenworcel] could inflict.”
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, also voiced his concerns about a 3-2 Democratic led FCC. “Since restoring the light-touch government regulation of the internet, mobile and fixed broadband access has expanded, Americans enjoy faster internet speeds, and 5G services have been expanded to more rural areas,” said Thune. “Unfortunately, Ms. Gomez would like to undo that progress by reinstating heavy-handed, Obama-era regulations to the internet, which would stifle our nation’s dynamic and robust e-commerce sector and slow down the expansion of broadband to rural communities. For that reason, I oppose her nomination.”
Assistance on quote collection was provided by RBR+TVBR’s Adam Jacobson.
