Netroots Push Senate to Swiftly Confirm Both FCC Nominees

More than 20 tech and civil rights organizations are making a joint push to ensure the Senate quickly confirms both Jessica Rosenworcel as Chair and Gigi Sohn as a Commissioner to the Federal Communications Commission.

Battle for the Net, a long-running hub for grassroots action in support of net neutrality and Internet access, is directing constituents’ messages to their Senators asking them to support these nominations, and to send messages over Twitter to Senate Commerce Committee members to push them to quickly schedule a hearing and jointly confirm the FCC nominees.

For nearly a year the FCC has been kneecapped without a full roster, and if the Senate fails to move before the end of the year, acting Chair and nominee Rosenworcel would be forced to step down in January, and the commission would be down to three.

Both of these candidates are fully qualified and should be confirmed immediately so that the FCC can get to work and can finally undue Ajit Pai’s disastrous repeal of net neutrality,” said Caitlin Seeley George (she/her), campaigns director at Fight for the Future. “It’s taken nearly a year to get this far, it would be absurd for the Senate to waste any time.

These nominees have immense experience, deep expertise, and track records as coalition builders who work with people from all points on the ideological spectrum. They’re pragmatists who have built unassailable records putting the public interest first,” said Mark Stanley (he/him), director of operations at Demand Progress. “The public has waited long enough. The essential nature of affordable broadband access and an open internet is more clear than ever. The Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, must get to work to quickly confirm these highly-qualified nominees together, so the FCC can in turn get to work for the public.

Battle for the Net has already sent more than 110,000 messages to the Biden administration this year, urging the appointment of net neutrality champions to the FCC; these messages also asked Senators to confirm them.

The full list of participating organizations include: 

• California Clean Money Action Fund
• Civic Shout
• CREDO Mobile
• Daily Kos
• Demand Progress
• Fight for the Future
• Free Press Action
• Friends of the Earth Action
• LeftNet
• OD Action
• OpenMedia
• Other98
• Presente Action
• Progress America
• Progressive Reform Network
• RootsAction.org
• Social Security Works
• TakeItBack.org
• TDI
• The Juggernaut Project
• Watchdog.net

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