FTC & FCC Nominees On Tough Road To Senate Confirmation

Democrats came one step closer to gaining control Thursday morning. The Senate Commerce Committee voted 14 to 14 along party lines to advance FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya to the Senate floor, the Washington Post Reported.

That vote is likely to end up similarly split, as Bedoya’s confirmation would secure a Democratic majority among FTC appointees and empower the agency to more easily pursue the Biden administration and FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan’s antitrust policy goals.

Sohn, an open-Internet advocate, and Bedoya, a critic of surveillance software, are among a slate of Biden nominees who have signaled the dawn of more aggressive tech and telecom regulation. But the clock is ticking on that agenda, especially as it appears increasingly likely that Republicans could regain control of Congress in the midterms and subject the agencies to tougher oversight.

The FTC has been in a political deadlock since September when former Democratic commissioner Rohit Chopra was confirmed to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bedoya, a critic of surveillance software, is among a slate of Biden nominees who have signaled the dawn of more aggressive tech and telecom regulation. But the clock is ticking on that agenda — especially as it appears increasingly likely that Republicans could regain control of Congress in the midterms and subject the agencies to tougher oversight.

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