Biden's FCC Nominees, If Confirmed, Could Return To Net Neutrality Rules

Biden’s FCC Nominees, If Confirmed, Could Return To Net Neutrality Rules

WASHINGTON DC – President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Jessica Rosenworcel, the acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, to be the head of the agency. If she’s confirmed by the Senate, she’ll be the first woman to fill that role.

Biden also nominated Gigi Sohn, a net neutrality advocate and a former FCC official, to the other open Democratic seat on the commission.

If confirmed, the nominations will give Democrats a majority on the five-member commission. Since Biden took office in January, the agency has operated with a 2-2 partisan divide. If Democrats gain control of the FCC, the agency is expected to begin pushing through a restoration of net neutrality rules that prohibit internet providers from blocking or slowing down internet traffic.

Net neutrality rules and the reclassification of broadband as a so-called Title II service under the Communications Act were passed during President Barack Obama’s term in office in 2015 under FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The rules were revoked in 2017 when Republicans took control of the agency following the election of President Donald Trump.