Sohn Plans Post-FCC Nomination Return as Public Broadband Group Head

Former FCC nominee Gigi Sohn told reporters Wednesday she’s ready for her next act in the communications policy space, after her withdrawal from contention for the vacant commission slot almost two months ago (see 2303070082). Sohn confirmed during and after an appearance at a Broadband Communities event in Houston that she will sign on in June as the American Association for Public Broadband’s first executive director. The House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee, meanwhile, plans a May 10 hearing on the government’s administration of $65 billion in broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal programs.

As “a person who’s always been a public advocate her whole career,” it was “enormously frustrating to be muzzled” during the frequently stalled 16-month confirmation process, to “not be able to talk about the important issues” in telecom policymaking “and to not be able to defend myself” against attacks from opponents, Sohn said during a conference call with reporters. President Joe Biden formally withdrew Sohn’s nomination in March (see 2303300048). The Biden administration has since been seeking a replacement nominee and appears close to picking a candidate. Former acting NTIA Administrator Anna Gomez, ex-Wiley, is the prohibitive favorite to get the nod (see 2305020001).

“So much was going on” during the confirmation process “that I wasn’t able to speak to,” particularly the rollout of the $65 billion in broadband money included in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Sohn said. “There’s still lots of opportunities for me to have my say,” especially because NTIA is gearing up to allocate money from the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program and state governments “are developing their plans” for spending the funds. “It’s not about me,” she said: “This is about shining a light on these” public broadband networks “that have been so successful and so well-loved.”

Much of the public “and certainly Congress doesn’t know” about the existing public networks “and a lot of folks don’t realize these assets … that are doing so much good to connect every American” already exist, Sohn said. AAPB, which launched last year, doesn’t advocate that public networks be “the only game in town,” but “there should be a level playing field” with incumbent commercial networks. “This is about freedom for communities and their leaders to choose what kind of broadband their residents should have,” she said: Sohn in part wants to increase the group’s membership because it’s thus far drawn only a “handful” of members.

Sohn is concerned that the federal government has “conflicting priorities” as it rolls out BEAD and other IIJA funding. “You understand why the administration and Congress want to get this money out now,” she said. “But that obviously causes problems,” including that there “wasn’t enough time” for states to “mount their challenges” to the FCC’s current broadband coverage maps that the federal government is using to guide its funding decisions. “I’m also concerned … about the lack of transparency around some of the data that’s been provided” via the maps, Sohn said.

The FCC decided during Ajit Pai’s chairmanship “it wasn’t going to do a damn thing” to improve the maps even after Congress passed the Broadband Data Act, so when Jessica Rosenworcel became chairwoman in 2021 the commission faced “the challenge of having to get this map as right as it can get” under "political pressure to distribute more broadband funding,” Sohn said. “We’ve got to get this right” given the IIJA money may be a “once-in-a-lifetime investment.” Strong oversight an enforcement will aid in preventing misuse of that money, she said.

House Commerce Oversight announced its May 10 broadband hearing, before Sohn’s announcement. It will be the Commerce Committee’s first specific foray into what’s expected to be a more critical look at recent programs now that Republicans have the chamber majority (see 2304180001). NTIA’s pot of IIJA connectivity money came up during a March House Commerce Oversight hearing (see 2303290074). The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn, Commerce said.

“Billions of taxpayer dollars have been allocated to broadband deployment in recent years,” including via IIJA, said House Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Oversight Chairman Morgan Griffith, R-Va. “This is on top of” the USF program’s more than $8 billion in annual spending “for broadband and other connectivity programs. Americans deserve every assurance these resources are truly going to help the unserved communities that need them most.” The lawmakers “look forward to this discussion to ensure there is robust oversight over broadband funding to minimize risks of waste, fraud, and abuse. Resources must go where they are needed so we can close the digital divide once and for all.”