Biden Picking Rosenworcel, Sohn Called a Milestone

Some other U.S. agencies also are diverse, at least on gender, statistics and interviews show. And the Biden administration has made strides based on its Cabinet and other nominations. But in politics more generally, women aren't as widely represented as men. Experts said women in government and elsewhere can lead to more inclusive decision-making, which can help achieve policy and other goals.

Rosenworcel’s designation is "historic," said CTIA CEO Meredith Baker, herself a former commissioner. “I am simply delighted to see two deeply experienced women tapped by President Biden for both FCC seats,” emailed former Commissioner Rachelle Chong. Rosenworcel “has distinguished herself already with her longtime dedication to the Homework Gap issue, and shown herself to be a leader on so many important issues facing the commission, such as broadband access, spectrum, and surcharge reform,” Chong said.

Under Rosenworcel, the agency has been "accelerating broadband access and addressing the homework gap," emailed former Commissioner Susan Ness. Sohn advocates for "an open and affordable broadband Internet that protects user privacy," and "with a full Commission" such "vital work can move full speed ahead," Ness said. "The FCC shines brightest when commissioners work together without party rancor to fulfill the agency’s vital mission. Chairwoman Rosenworcel has already lowered the temperature on the 'Eighth Floor.' May that approach continue."

“This is a historic moment for the agency," Rosenworcel told us in a statement "Breaking down barriers like this would not be possible without a nod to those who came before, including former Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn.” Rosenworcel said she knows “what it’s like to be the only woman in the room” and “I bet many know what that’s like, too,” Rosenworcel said: “There is power in participation. The decisions we make in boardrooms, in courtrooms, in laboratories and legislative halls are stronger when they are the product of diversity.”

Rosenworcel and Sohn are “the right people at the right time,” Internet Innovation Alliance Co-Chair Kim Keenan told us: “They’re breaking down these barriers.”

Senators

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., believes a confirmation hearing on at least Rosenworcel is likely to happen in November, but she also hopes to include Sohn and NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson on the same panel. It will be “easier” to fast-track consideration of Rosenworcel “because people know” her already from her time at the FCC and as a Senate Commerce aide, but all three will come up before the committee “soon,” Cantwell told us Tuesday.

“It makes sense to me” to fast-track Rosenworcel, Sohn and Davidson, assuming “we can get them scheduled for a hearing” soon, Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., told reporters Wednesday. “I’m certainly hopeful, because of the urgency and the importance of all three” FCC and NTIA positions “related with broadband deployment across America. There’s no reason that they couldn’t move together.”

Senate Commerce ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., believes it’s far more plausible that the chamber could fast-track Rosenworcel than Sohn, though both should “go through the full process.” The FCC wouldn’t be facing the possibility of shifting to a 2-1 GOP majority in January and the Democrats wouldn’t have to press for fast-tracking confirmation if the Biden administration “had come with nominees well before Halloween,” he told us. Rosenworcel has a “better than even chance of being confirmed,” potentially with GOP support, Wicker said. “I’m sure a number of people will want to interview her” and “talk to her about various issues at a hearing.

Other Republicans also said they’re more open to voting for Rosenworcel than for Sohn. “I’m inclined to vote for” Rosenworcel based on her existing FCC and Senate Commerce work, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., told reporters. “I look forward to meeting” both her and Sohn before making a final decisions.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., told reporters he wouldn’t take the possibility of supporting Rosenworcel “off the table,” but he hasn’t decided. “She’s a known quantity,” he said. “I certainly know” Rosenworcel and “worked well together” with her “on a number of issues involving things I care about” in telecom policymaking. Moran said he and Rosenworcel have “not always been in agreement, but she’s been very cooperative. I don’t know Sohn very well other than” her past role as a top aide to then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “We need to get the FCC back to working together,” Moran said. “There’s been various points in history” when “there’s been collegiality between Republicans and Democrats” on the commission along with periods when that “wasn’t the case.”

Biden Picks

The Biden administration has aggressively nominated women to leadership positions.

Brookings Institution tracking of Senate-confirmed appointees through Oct. 20 shows 52 men and 65 women. Diana O’Brien, the Rice University Thomas Associate Professor of Political Science, emailed that Biden’s 11 of 24 cabinet appointees being women -- plus Vice President Kamala Harris -- “is a strong showing” compared with past presidential administrations, where women were never more than eight of 25 cabinet or cabinet-rank positions.

“It's always good to see women in leadership roles because of the impact that visibility can have on women seeking to serve in similar positions,” emailed Jennifer Danley-Scott of Texas Women’s University Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy. She said Office of Personnel Management tracking of diversity noted some areas of the federal bureaucracy being closer to parity than others. She said independent agencies “are one area where we have seen parity,” and before the COVID-19 pandemic, women held positions as chairs, commissioners and directors in the major independent agencies in numbers similar to men.

The U.S., however, lags other nations on women’s presence in politics, O'Brien said. Women holding nearly half the cabinet positions would put the U.S. on par with leaders who have gender-balanced or “parity” cabinets, including presidents and prime ministers in Canada, France, Spain and Sweden, she said. O’Brien said the Biden administration's focus on including women and people of color “has led to more, not less, qualified appointees, because the Biden administration has broadened the talent pool for executive-branch posts.”

Gender parity is sometimes higher among political appointees than elected officials because of the easier ability to hold elected officials accountable for whom they appoint, said Dina Refki, director of the State University of New York at Albany’s Center for Women in Government & Civil Society. She said there are some indications that having women in leadership roles translates into policy decisions that can advance the interests of other women due to their shared experiences. Refki said there also are some indications women have a more collaborative style of leadership than men.

LGBTQ History

If confirmed, Sohn would be the latest of the more than 150 openly LGBTQ+ officials in the Biden administration, according to the LGBTQ Victory Institute. “Gigi is poised to make history as the first out LGBTQ commissioner at the FCC, but more important is that nobody is more qualified than her to tackle the breadth of issues the FCC faces in the near future,” said Executive Director Ruben Gonzales.

Sohn’s supporters said her background in public advocacy is likely to influence her decision-making on the commission. As a Mozilla fellow, "Gigi was a relentless public voice" and "built coalitions" to drive issues forward, said Executive Director Mark Surman. Sohn declined to comment.

“Gigi has a wealth of knowledge on a range of telecom issues, and I look forward to hearing her ideas,” Rosenworcel told us: “The addition of a smart, savvy, LGBTQ+ leader to the dais would be both historic and impactful.”

Sohn’s nomination "is one of personal pride for me and the entire Public Knowledge staff and alumni," said CEO Chris Lewis. Sohn co-founded the group in 2001. She "would be the first openly LGBTQ commissioner at the FCC and the first whose career comes almost exclusively out of the public interest advocacy community," Lewis said.