Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
“This Nomination Has Turned Into a Spectacle Because of the Nominee’s Own Record and Actions”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today blasted President Biden’s nominee to the Federal Communications Commission, Gigi Sohn, for her track record of unethical behavior and partisan comments at a Commerce Committee hearing. As Sen. Fischer noted, this is the third time Sohn has appeared before the Commerce Committee.
President Biden renominated Sohn to serve as an FCC Commissioner this year after the Senate failed to confirm her last Congress. Sen. Fischer urged the Biden administration to withdraw Sohn’s nomination.
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Following are Senator Fischer’s remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, Chair Cantwell.
This is now the third time Ms. Sohn has come before the committee.
She’s given dismissive and evasive answers – and outright flip-flopped on positions she had otherwise consistently taken throughout her career.
I continue to have serious concerns with the nominee’s record.
She has troubling conflicts of interest, which prompted her second appearance before this committee last year.
Ms. Sohn was a leading board member of Locast – a company that pirated content from local broadcasters.
A federal court issued an injunction against her company from operating this illegal scheme.
Ms. Sohn tried to do damage control in our hearings — she eventually promised to recuse herself from certain proceedings at the FCC if confirmed.
This promise essentially admitted to conflicts of interest on matters such as retransmission consent and television copyrights.
But her recusal was nonbinding and vaguely constructed.
Ms. Sohn’s answers to hearing questions also showed no regret for her unlawful actions.
She even downplayed the situation by emphasizing that Locast was just a nonprofit – framing the company as if it were a charity. It was not.
The FCC is charged with protecting intellectual property rights. Copyright protections are the lifeblood of local broadcasters.
But Ms. Sohn thinks she’s some kind of ‘Copyright Robinhood.’ She told this very committee that she thought she was “helping broadcasters,” while she was in fact stealing their content.
It’s simply incredible.
Locast wasn’t the first copyright controversy centered around Ms. Sohn, either.
She also championed the FCC’s failed set-top box Order while she was a senior advisor at the Commission.
That order received major blowback for the lack of transparency around its drafting and circulation, as well.
I previously questioned Ms. Sohn about transparency concerns – such as why she bragged on a public panel about concealing another controversial Order as a senior FCC advisor.
Then there was the inspector general report – which found that she leaked confidential documents to the press while employed at the FCC. Her actions purposely derailed a bipartisan agreement to reform the Lifeline program.
I’m certain we will only see more of this hyper-partisan, deceptive conduct if the Senate moves this nomination forward.
The FCC’s mission rests on advancing communications in ways that serve the public interest.
I’m afraid Ms. Sohn and I have very different outlooks about what’s in the public interest.
I cannot support a nominee who would put rural broadband access on the backburner.
I cannot support a nominee who has willfully jeopardized local broadcast stations.
I cannot support a nominee who would oversee public safety communications, but has amplified rhetoric to defund the police.
And I cannot support a nominee who has a record of acting unethically while working at the very agency to which she is nominated.
I have voted for Democratic FCC nominees in the past, including Chairwoman Rosenworcel and Commissioner Starks. I do not agree with all of their positions – but they were qualified, and they were not driven by bias.
This nomination has turned into a spectacle because of the nominee’s own record and actions.
I will not support a partisan nominee, and I urge the administration to withdraw the nomination.
At the previous two hearings, I have asked the nominee questions, and I have no additional questions at this time.
Thank you.