For the first time since Ajit Pai left the FCC at the conclusion of his term as Chairman in January 2021, the commission has a full five-person contingent.
Anna Gomez, who was nominated in April to fill the vacant fifth seat, was confirmed by the Senate by a 55-43 vote. The vote ends the block by the Republican party giving the Democrats their 3-2 majority on the FCC following the election of President Biden.
Gomez currently serves as an an advisor for international information and communications policy in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. She previously spent 12 years in various roles at the FCC and as deputy administrator for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Her appointment follows two failed nominations for Gigi Sohn to fill the vacant fifth seat. Sohn’s nomination was met with resistance from Republicans, the NAB, and the telecommunications industry for being too far left in their words due to her positions in favor of net neutrality and being against further media consolidation.
