Gigi Sohn, Joe Biden’s pick to end a nearly two-year deadlock in the Federal Communications Commission, withdrew her nomination Tuesday. The exit, which Sohn blamed on stonewalling from dark money groups, means the FCC will remain without any one-party majority for the foreseeable future. That 2-2 commissioner gridlock will prevent Democrats from pushing even moderately progressive policy priorities forward because they would need Republican commissioners’ cooperation.
Sohn didn’t leave the running quietly. In a fiery exit statement, she said the nomination was stymied by “legions of cable and media industry lobbyists” who tried to discredit her professional record with lies and smears. In the end, Sohn said the “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks” on her character were simply too much to bear. That’s bad news for Sohn, but even worse news for anyone optimistic about the FCC holding telecoms accountable.
“It is a sad day for our country and our democracy when dominant industries, with assistance from 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.”
This article is part of a developing story. Our writers and editors will be updating this page as new information is released. Please check back again in a few minutes to see the latest updates. Meanwhile, if you want more news coverage, check out our tech, science, or io9 front pages. And you can always see the most recent Gizmodo news stories at gizmodo.com/latest.
Source: Gizmodo