President Biden on Monday announced his intention to nominate three key leaders to his administration to serve on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), in a push for a Democratic majority at the agency.
President Biden announced his intent to nominate Anna M. Gomez to serve as a commissioner at the five-seat commission, which currently sits at a 2-2 split among Republican and Democratic commissioners. He also announced his intent to reissue the nomination of two of the agency’s current commissioners, Republican Brendan Carr and Democrat Geoffrey Starks.
Gomez is a telecommunications attorney with extensive experience in domestic and international communications law and policy. She currently serves as a senior advisor for International Information and Communications Policy in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.
Gomez previously served for 12 years in various positions at the FCC, including as deputy chief of the International Bureau and as senior legal advisor to then-Chairman William E. Kennard.
Gomez’s nomination comes after President Biden’s last nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew her nomination after a long, uphill battle over her pick.
For as long as the nomination remains stalled, the net result for the Biden administration and the FCC is a 2-2 split that deprives Democrats of the 3-2 majority normally enjoyed by the party that controls the White House – and less leeway for the FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to pursue her agenda.
As for the refresh of the exiting commissioners, Starks has served as an FCC commissioner since 2017, where he has focused on creating access to high-quality broadband for every American including rural America. While serving at the FCC, he has worked to make networks more secure. Starks previously served as assistant bureau chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau.
Carr also currently serves as a commissioner of the FCC, joining the agency as a staffer in 2012. During his time at the FCC, Carr has focused on expanding affordable, high-speed Internet service to all Americans. Carr also leads the FCC’s telehealth initiative – the Connected Care Pilot Program – which supports the delivery of high-quality care to low-income Americans and veterans.
Before that, Carr served as the FCC’s general counsel and before that as a staffer in multiple offices at the commission.
