Gigi Sohn Withdraws Nomination To The FCC

deadline.com:

Gigi Sohn is withdrawing her nomination to the FCC, after a 16-month battle in which she faced relentless attacks from industry lobbyists and from commentators on the right. “When I accepted his nomination over sixteen months ago, I could not have imagined that legions ofcable and media industry lobbyists, their bought-and-paid-for surrogates, and dark moneypolitical groups with bottomless pockets would distort my over 30-year history as a consumeradvocate into an absurd caricature of blatant lies,” Sohn wrote in a statement to The Washington Post. “The unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks on my character and my career as an advocate for the public interest have taken an enormous toll on me and my family.” The announcement of her withdrawal came after Sen.

Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that he would vote against her, costing Democrats a crucial vote if her nomination made it to the floor.

Sohn faced three hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee. Sohn, a public interest advocate who served as special counsel to the FCC during the Obama administration, became a target of right-wing media, with figures like Tucker Carlson weighing in against her. “It is a sad day for our country and our democracy when dominant industries, with assistancefrom unlimited dark money, get to choose their regulators,” Sohn said. “And with the help of their friends in the Senate, the powerful cable and media companies have done just that.” The FCC has been deadlocked 2-2 between the parties, meaning that the agency has avoided taking up more contentious items, like net neutrality and media consolidation.

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