Commerce Committee's Vote to Advance Gomez and Starks Moves Senate One Step Closer to Ending Unprecedented FCC Deadlock

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to confirm Anna Gomez to fill the fifth and final seat at the Federal Communications Commission. The nomination now moves to the Senate floor, where a majority vote is needed to end the FCC’s unprecedented 2–2 deadlock, which has slowed the agency on a number of vital issues.

Gomez is a State Department senior technology adviser, and former FCC and NTIA official and attorney. The committee also advanced the renomination of Commissioners Geoffrey Starks, who must be reconfirmed before the end of the year to continue serving at the agency, and Brendan Carr, whose term is the next to expire.

The FCC deadlock is the result of concerted efforts by the phone, cable and broadcast lobbies to hamstring the agency that oversees their businesses. It has been in place since the beginning of the Biden administration. Gomez’s Senate confirmation would finally restore the agency’s full complement of commissioners and provide a tie-breaking vote on issues related to diversifying media ownership, promoting broadband affordability and protecting the rights of internet users.

Free Press Action and thousands of its members have called on senators to swiftly confirm Gomez and Starks before they break for the August recess.

Free Press Action Co-CEO Jessica J. González said:

“We applaud Chair Cantwell for moving the committee to confirm these nominees and we urge Majority Leader Schumer to hold a floor vote before the August recess. We’ve waited far too long for a fully functioning FCC, and there’s no time to waste. The agency must turn its attention to  reclaiming its rightful authority over broadband in Title II of the Communications Act to prevent digital discrimination and ensure that everyone in the United States has reliable and affordable broadband. The longer the Senate waits to seat these commissioners, the longer people will be denied these crucial protections and benefits.

“Anna Gomez has a long track record of public service and is eminently qualified to take up her post on the FCC. I would be especially proud to welcome the first Latinx FCC commissioner in more than two decades. I would also be pleased to see Geoffrey Starks return; he’s been an effective commissioner and deserves to continue this important work.

“The FCC has a mandate to increase the diversity of local-media ownership and to ensure that broadband access is affordable, open and reliable for all. We need all five FCC commissioners to get to work as soon as possible to move this work forward. Majority Leader Schumer controls the floor calendar. He needs to schedule a full Senate vote before the upcoming August recess.”