Gigi Sohn gets another hearing; INCOMPAS kicks off policy conference

A busy week in the telecom world kicks off with a high-profile industry event and a Capitol Hill hearing that is leaving many public interest advocates frustrated.

Gigi Sohn, the White House's nominee to sit as the third Democratic commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission, faces a second nomination hearing Feb. 9. Last week, the Senate Commerce Committee had been about to vote on Sohn's nomination, but the vote was delayed after Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., had a stroke.

Public interest advocates called the second hearing unusual, and policy experts told S&P Global Market Intelligence that the lengthier timeline may leave moderate democrats more opportunity to reconsider their support for an embattled nominee.

Sohn offered in late January to recuse herself from any items related to retransmission fees, which pay TV providers pay to broadcasters in exchange for the right to distribute their local stations. But the offer raised its own set of concerns from major industry groups, including NCTA - The Internet & Television Association and US Telecom.

Republicans' concerns about Sohn include her past tweets criticizing cable news channel FOX News Channel (US) and her work at Locast, which was found by a court to be illegally streaming broadcasts without permission or compensation. Some moderate Democrats, notably Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, are hesitant to advance Sohn due to her support for net neutrality.

Others are not going down without a fight for the FCC nominee. Media Democracy advocacy group Free Press in a statement last week noted that some 250 organizations across the political spectrum have called for Sohn's confirmation and called the additional hearing "blatant obstructionism."

"I think the public interest community has been expressing our concern for months now that it's taken so long to see the five-person commission," said Chris Lewis, CEO of intellectual property policy advocacy organization Public Knowledge, which Sohn co-founded. "And to have a second hearing drags it out well beyond what is necessary, and it's highly unusual."

Prior to the hearing, INCOMPAS, a communications trade association advocating for all-network competition policy, will hold its 2022 Policy Summit on Feb. 8.

Several FCC commissioners will be present, including Republicans Nathan Simington and Brendan Carr, as well as Democratic Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. They will each deliver keynote remarks throughout the day. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Angus King, I-Maine; and Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., will also be in attendance.

In the afternoon, panels featuring former FCC members and other big names in the broadband and telecom landscape will occur, including a panel on the infrastructure act's broadband provisions, as well as a discussion on securing broadband competition in multi-tenant living spaces.

S&P Global Market Intelligence will provide live in-person coverage of the event.

	Government
	Feb. 8	The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing titled "Responding to and Learning from the Log4Shell Vulnerability."
	Feb. 9	The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Gigi Sohn.
	Feb. 9	The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing titled "Examining Digital Assets: Risks, Regulation, and Innovation."
	Industry, legal and think tank events
	Feb. 8	The 2022 INCOMPAS Policy Summit will focus on communications and technology issues, including broadband deployment and the implementation of federal broadband funding programs, 5G, the internet of things, streaming services, as well as the overall state of the industry.
	Feb. 8	Axios will host an event titled "Spearheading a Safer Internet." Speakers will include executives at TikTok Inc. and Google LLC.
	Feb. 10	AT&T Policy Forum will hold an event titled "Progress Toward Connecting All Americans."
	Feb. 10	The Washington Post Live will hold an event with Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the government agency responsible for protecting families and businesses in banking, housing, lending and financial technology. Chopra is a former Federal Trade Commissioner.

Stories of note:

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