Gigi Sohn

About

Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. She is the host of the "Tech on the Rocks Podcast." Gigi sits on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Gigi is one of the nation’s leading public advocates for open, affordable and democratic communications networks. For thirty years, Gigi has worked across the country to defend and preserve the fundamental competition and innovation policies that have made broadband Internet access more ubiquitous, competitive, affordable, open and protective of user privacy. Most recently,…

Media

National Law Review: Communications Policy Under the Biden Administration

With a new administration, public policy changes are on the horizon for the telecom industry. The FCC in the Biden era has plenty to consider, including net neutrality, closing the digital divide, and the future of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. On March 10, long-time communications industry insider Gigi Sohn joined Womble…

Posted on May 19, 2021May 25, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Washington Post: The Technology 2020: The federal government is rolling out record amounts of broadband funding. It could be just the beginning.

The new broadband affordability programs [the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and the Emergency Connectivity Fund] are just temporary — and advocates say lawmakers need to develop a long-term program that will ensure low-income Americans can afford the Internet. “We’re not going back to 2019,” said Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate…

Posted on May 12, 2021May 14, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Protocol: In Biden’s broadband plan, cable is in for the fight of its life

Comcast, Charter, AT&T and their respective industry associations have spent years beating back municipal broadband networks in states across the country, lobbying for laws that prohibit such networks and arguing that government-funded broadband puts the thumb on the scale of competition. With the President Joe Biden infrastructure plan and its…

Posted on May 11, 2021May 14, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Media

NPR Marketplace: Broadband, computer subsidies on the way for those who qualify

A new federal program to help low-income consumers pay their internet bills will start taking applications May 12. The Emergency Broadband Benefit program was part of the COVID relief legislation passed in December. Those who qualify will receive a discount on their monthly internet bill and money toward a new computer. Yosef…

Posted on May 11, 2021May 14, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Bloomberg: Cable Firms Fear Being Left in Dust in Biden Broadband Quest

The Biden administration’s multitrillion-dollar infrastructure proposal includes $100 billion to bring high-speed broadband to every American, an idea that might be expected to win applause from those who provide the service. But cable companies such as Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications Inc. that connect about two-thirds of U.S. homes that have broadband service fear…

Posted on May 6, 2021May 10, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Media

Vice: The Dangers of Facebook

Facebook has long been the "cool" social media platform outlasted its peers from the mid-2000's. It was the central hub for a whole generation to meet, plan events, and archive their youths. But somewhere along the way, Facebook turned into a toxic, political wasteland filled with hate speech and disinformation.…

Posted on May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

National Journal: Broadband industry spooked at specter of Biden price controls

A new fight is looming over the FCC classification that underpins net neutrality. And this time, it’s poised to go well beyond the bright-line neutrality rules at the heart of previous debates. More at National Journal.

Posted on May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Axios: Telecom goes to war with New York over low-income broadband law

Trade groups representing AT&T, Verizon and other telecom companies are opening fire on a new law requiring them to provide discounted internet service to low-income households in New York. New York's first-in-the-nation law could be adopted by other states at a time when the White House has signaled it wants…

Posted on April 30, 2021May 3, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

CNET: President Biden taps Kamala Harris to lead effort to close digital divide

President Joe Biden has put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of his initiative to close the digital divide, signaling his seriousness about ensuring every American has access to affordable, high-speed internet. During his first address to a joint session of Congress, Biden said Wednesday that the vice president would…

Posted on April 29, 2021May 3, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Washington Post: The Technology 202: Kamala Harris will lead the Biden Administration’s push to bring every American online

President Biden announced the Vice Presiden Harris would take the lead on the issue during his first address to a slimmed-down joint session of Congress, where he touted his proposal to create new jobs through investment in expanding Internet access. Biden said his Americans Jobs Plan, which includes $100 billion for…