President Biden announced Monday he is nominating telecommunications lawyer Anna M. Gomez to a vacancy on the Federal Communications Commission, his second attempt to fill a seat on the five-member agency that has been deadlocked 2-2 since the start of his presidency.
The White House touted Ms. Gomez’s FCC credentials, saying she has “extensive experience in domestic and international communications law and policy” including 12 years in various roles at the FCC.
The president announced the appointment after a previous nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew amid opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, and criticism from Republicans.
If confirmed by the Senate, her nomination would break two years of partisan deadlock at the agency. The FCC has been split 2-2 since Mr. Biden took office, as it seeks to decide on issues such as restoring “net neutrality” rules that would prohibit internet service providers from blocking or promoting certain content.
Mr. Biden issued an executive order in 2021 that encouraged the FCC to restore net neutrality rules that were repealed under the Trump administration.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Ms. Gomez “brings with her a wealth of telecommunications experience, a substantial record of public service, and a history of working to ensure the U.S. stays on the cutting edge of keeping us all connected.”
Ms. Gomez has worked with the State Department’s new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, and was previously a partner at the big law firm Wiley Rein.
Earlier this year, the State Department named Ms. Gomez as its lead for U.S. preparations for a major international telecommunications conference in Dubai scheduled to begin in November.
“Ms. Gomez has a distinguished career in the telecommunications sector — serving in both government and industry,” the State Department said at the time. “Prior to joining the Department of State, Ms. Gomez served for over a decade in various positions in the Federal Communications Commission, including Deputy Chief of the International Bureau, where she developed and implemented policy on international telecommunications and satellite spectrum.”
Ms. Gomez’s brief experience as a counsel on the Senate Commerce Committee may also prove helpful in navigating the perilous confirmation process that sunk Ms. Sohn’s nomination.
Ms. Sohn withdrew her nomination in March and decried lies and caricatures about her as affecting her decision.
The Communications Workers of America applauded Mr. Biden’s nomination of Ms. Gomez on Monday and ripped Republicans.
“For too long, we have been without a full roster of FCC commissioners as industry lobbyists and their Republican allies in the Senate delayed and obstructed President Biden’s nominee,” the group said in a statement. “This must not happen again.”
Former FCC chairman Ajit Pai, who was appointed to the FCC by former President Trump, congratulated Ms. Gomez on Twitter and applauded the president’s renominations of FCC commissioners Brendan Carr, a Republican appointee, and Geoffrey Adam Starks, a Democrat.
“Commissioners Carr and Starks have served with distinction for years and Anna Gomez would leverage a wide range of public and private experience, including @FCC and @NTIAgov,” Mr. Pai tweeted.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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