Biden Administration Nominates Anna Gomez To FCC To Break Partisan Deadlock

The White House on Monday announced it was nominating telecom lawyer Anna Gomez to the FCC along with reinstating the nomination for two other staffers in an attempt to break the partisan deadlock that’s blocked the commission from restoring Net Neutrality, among other items, for the last two years.

President Joe Biden Monday nominated telecom lawyer Anna Gomez to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an attempt to break the partisan deadlock that’s tied up the commission for the last two years.

The five-seat commission has lacked a Democratic majority for the entirety of Biden’s term, which has delayed the agency’s Democratic agency priorities, such as restoring net neutrality and other more strict internet regulations.

The Biden administration is also reissuing the nominations of Geoffrey Adam Starks and Brendan Carr, the current senior Republication on the agency, as nominees for commissioner of the FCC to fill out the full FCC rooster.

[Related: Biden Administration Names Jessica Rosenworcel As Acting FCC Chief]

Gomez, for her part, is an FCC veteran who served for 12 years in various positions within the FCC, including as deputy chief of the International Bureau and as senior legal advisor to then-Chairman William E. Kennard. Today, she is serving as a communications policy adviser at the State Department. Prior to her latest role, she served as the deputy administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the Commerce Department. She has extensive experience in domestic and international communications law and policy and is committed to expanding internet access nationwide.

Gomez is the latest nominee after Gigi Sohn, another former FCC staffer who withdrew from consideration in March following what she referred to as a “coordinated campaign” by the telecom industry to block her nomination.

Jessica Rosenworcel, the longtime FCC commissioner, was appointed to chairwoman in 2021, a seat she still occupies today. Rosenworcel was the first woman to hold the position as leader of the FCC.

Nathan Simington, appointed by the Trump administration, is the remaining current commissioner currently sitting on the FCC.