Move FCC and FTC Nominees to Confirmation

I am writing to express my strong support for the confirmation of Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Both nominees have held long careers in government, non-profit, and academia, backgrounds and expertise that will enable them to protect the public as regulators without pre-existing industry ties. These barrier-breaking nominees underscore the Biden Administration's and Senate Democrats' commitment to make government look like America. Ms. Sohn brings over 30 years of experience in telecommunications, broadband, and technology policy, demonstrating a strong commitment to equity, consumer protection, and keeping the internet open. She improved the quality of life for underserved communities with her work on broadband deployment and adoption policies while at the FCC and in the non-profit sector. She will build on that work at a time when the FCC is directed by Congress to implement digital redlining rules that prohibit discriminatory deployment of broadband on the basis of race, income status, and other targets of discrimination. Her confirmation will ensure the FCC uses the full force of law to ensure equal access to the internet for all Americans, not just the privileged. As the founder and director of the Georgetown University Law Center's Center on Privacy and Technology, Professor Bedoya's expertise in privacy law and policy makes his confirmation to the FTC critical for consumers. His understanding of the dangers of tech companies' pervasive surveillance practices and their harmful effects on communities of color and other marginalized groups are needed now more than ever. Having run some of the first major congressional oversight hearings into Internet giants like Facebook, Google, and Apple, Professor Bedoya has also made clear that he sees Big Tech as a threat not just to privacy, but also to small businesses. At his confirmation hearing, he warned of the threat of "unprecedented consolidation" to online retailers, community pharmacists, independent grocers, and other small businesses. Bedoya's and Sohn's confirmation will end deadlocks at the FTC and FCC. It will allow these agencies to move forward with their critical missions that our communities view as urgent priorities. I urge you to move past the bad faith arguments that have been made against these well qualified and important nominees and to move them to confirmation as soon as possible.