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Friend,
It’s been nearly two years since President Biden was inaugurated, and we STILL do not have a fully functional Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Since Biden nominated public-interest champion Gigi Sohn to fill the fifth tie-breaking seat at the FCC, she has faced antisemitic, homophobic and deceitful attacks — including anti-Black dog whistles from a police union.
All of this has led to the Senate’s failure to confirm her within a reasonable timeframe — which is exactly what telecommunications companies, cable conglomerates like Comcast and broadcasters regulated by the FCC intended.
In a minute, we’ll discuss the maddening details of this smear campaign. But first, we have to ask: Will you help us ramp up our fight against monied special interests and corporations by rushing your very first gift to Free Press Action today?
The delay in confirming Gigi Sohn is shocking, but industry attempts to deadlock the FCC are no secret.
Comcast has hired lobbyists to work in D.C. just to sabotage her nomination.1 And last month, The Washington Post reported that two conservative nonprofits had placed at least $246,000 in Facebook ads opposing Sohn’s confirmation.2
Unfortunately, it gets worse — much worse:
- The Fraternal Order of Police has falsely claimed that Sohn holds “serious animus towards law enforcement officers and the rule of law”3 because she supports end-to-end encryption, and also supports holding officers accountable and evaluating the best ways to ensure public safety. Such accusations are an anti-Black dog whistle that’s often levied against public-interest advocates.
- In a move that reeks of antisemitism, right-wing pundit Charles Gasparino has made a concerted effort to tie Sohn with well-known liberal philanthropist George Soros, who has provided some funding to Public Knowledge, an organization Sohn co-founded.4
- On top of that, right-wing media outlets, alongside Sens. Ted Cruz, John Thune and Todd Young,5 have falsely claimed that Sohn intends to censor conservative outlets like Fox News6 — even though the agency has no power to do so.
- Sohn — who would be the first openly LGBTQIA+ commissioner in the history of the FCC — has faced homophobic comments and attacks online.7
The smears against Gigi Sohn have been relentless and ugly — but the corruption and dirty tricks aren't working anymore. The new Senate has a renewed mandate to serve the public interest. It can start by confirming Sohn immediately.
Your support is more critical than ever. Make your very first donation to Free Press Action to fund our fight for the confirmation of Gigi Sohn and a fully functional FCC.
We know the fight to confirm Sohn has been intensely frustrating. But if we can double down on our advocacy efforts with this new Senate, we can win.
Thanks for all that you do—
Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net
P.S. In January 2021, we never imagined that we’d still be fighting TWO YEARS LATER to get a governing majority at the FCC. Deep-pocketed interests are pouring a staggering amount of money into stopping Gigi Sohn and keeping the FCC deadlocked — because they don’t want the agency to act in the best interests of people like you. Donate today to help us fight back.
1. “Gigi Sohn: Round Two,” The American Prospect, Jan. 5, 2023
2. “How Biden’s FCC nominee became a major campaign target, The Washington Post, Dec. 13, 2022
3. “Gigi Sohn: FOP Research Analysis,” Fraternal Order of Police,” March 2, 2022
4. “Biden Admin Scrambling to Save Controversial FCC Nominee After Saule Omarova Withdrawal,” Fox Business, Dec. 7, 2021
5. “FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn Pushes Back at ‘Unrelenting, Unfair and Outright False Criticism’ in Senate Hearing,” Deadline, Feb. 9, 2022
6. “A Media Censor for the FCC?” The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 8, 2021
7. “Biden’s Internet Promises in Limbo Amid Long Battle Over FCC Nominee,” The Washington Post, Dec. 14, 2022
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