If Gigi Sohn gets confirmed to join the Federal Communications Commission, the Biden administration may install the ultra-progressive telecom maven as chair of the powerful panel, insiders told On The Money.
In a Tuesday Senate hearing, Sohn claimed that any rumor she wants to be chair is “false.” However, sources say Sohn has privately told friends that the only reason she has weathered her year-and-a-half candidacy is because she has been assured by White House officials that they plan to make her chair.
“It would be incredibly embarrassing to pull her now,” one source noted.
Specifically, people close to Sohn say the administration believes it will be easier to get Senate approval for her nomination as a commissioner and then appoint her as chair to replace Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic Obama appointee. Indeed, Biden officials followed a similar playbook when they installed Lina Khan – a left-leaning, anti-tech trustbuster – as chair of the Federal Trade Commission in 2021.
Sohn did not respond to a request for comment; the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear if Sohn will win the Senate nomination, with Democrat Joe Manchin reportedly still on the fence. If people say Democrats are hopeful she’ll pull it off — and eventually replace current FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel as chair, insiders told On The Money.
Conservatives fret that Sohn — who has previously slammed Fox as “dangerous to our democracy” and encouraged the FCC to examine if conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group is “qualified” to keep its broadcast license — would move as FCC chair to revoke the license of right-leaning talk radio stations and even cable channels.
“If your license gets pulled your program is yanked immediately,” a source added.Most recently, Sohn worked at Locast — a startup that captured and retransmitted broadcast signals online without permission from cable companies.
Locast was slapped with a $32 million lawsuit that ultimately cost just $1 million to settle after it became clear Sohn would be nominated for the FCC, The Post reported.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
