Biden State of the Union Ignores Gigi Sohn’s Stalled Nomination

In his State of the Union address before Congress on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden touted a bipartisan infrastructure law that he said would help bridge America’s digital divide.

“These projects will put hundreds of thousands of people to work to rebuild highways, bridges, railroads, tunnels, ports, airports, clean water and high-speed internet across America,” Biden said in his speech. .

“We are making affordable high-speed internet accessible to all communities,” the president added. “Parents don’t have to drive to the McDonald’s parking lot so their kids can do their homework online.”

Biden’s infrastructure bill, along with the recent COVID relief project, provided unprecedented sums to improve the country’s broadband problems, but there’s just one problem. Biden’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) selection has not yet been approved.

And Song, or her stalled nomination, was missing from Biden’s speech before a packed Congress that included most of the senators needed to approve Gigi Song’s nomination to the FCC.

In the text provided in Biden’s speech at the White House, the president makes no mention of Grandson or the FCC, which has been bogged down in issuing new congressional-approved funds.

More than two years into office, Biden has not fully staffed the FCC, and Son’s nomination faltered, becoming the first to die in the Senate after the 2022 midterm elections. There have been no additional moves since Biden renominated her.

As it stands, if the FCC is stuck 2:2, it’s less likely to approve a new broadband map that would help distribute funds evenly. Without a Democratic majority, the FCC has been unable to restore net neutrality or pursue the massive telecommunications monopoly that keeps internet prices high and slows down service.

So without pressure from the president to endorse Son on the biggest platform possible, his public promises sound hollow.