US Senate votes to give Democrats majority on telecom regulator (updated)

China Mobile

07/09/2023 20:02

(Adds more details, background on issues)
    By David Shepardson
       WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted
Thursday to approve President Joe Biden's nominee for a key
fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),
giving Democrats a majority on the telecommunications regulator.
    The Senate voted 55-43 to confirm Anna Gomez, a Democratic
telecommunications attorney who serves as a senior adviser for
the State Department's Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.
    Since January 2021, the FCC has been deadlocked 2-2,
stalling Democrats' efforts to reinstate landmark net neutrality
rules revoked under Republican then-President Donald Trump and
to pursue other priorities.
        In July 2021, Biden signed an executive order
encouraging the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules adopted
under Democratic President Barack Obama in 2015.
  
        Biden's first nominee for the open seat, former FCC
official Gigi Sohn, withdrew in March after three hearings. She
blamed industry opponents for scuttling her nomination.
  
        Another big issue for the FCC is the fate of a subsidy
program for internet users. Congress awarded $14.2 billion in
2021 for a $30 per month voucher for low-income families to use
toward any internet service plan of their choosing.
  
        More than 20 million American households have signed up
for the program to date. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in
May she expects the program will run out of money early next
year absent congressional action.
  
        The FCC has been involved in a number of issues
surrounding Chinese telecom companies. 
  
        In 2019, the FCC voted to deny state-owned Chinese
telecom firm China Mobile  0941.HK  the right to provide U.S.
services and later withdrew U.S. authorizations for several
other Chinese telecom carriers, including China Telecom
 0728.HK .
  
        On Wednesday, 
    Rosenworcel asked U.S. agencies
     to consider declaring that Chinese companies including
Quectel  603236.SS  and Fibocom Wireless  300638.SZ  pose
unacceptable national security risks.
  
        The FCC said last month it would 
    publicly release comments
     on a bid by an advocacy group to deny the renewal of a
license for Fox Television Stations'  FOXA.O  Philadelphia
station, saying Fox News aired "false information about election
fraud" about the 2020 presidential election.
  

 (Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and
Nick Zieminski)
 ((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))