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,…

News

Bloomberg: Relief Bill Has $7 Billion to Expand Broadband, Thwart Huawei

The pandemic relief bill moving through Congress calls for $7 billion in spending on broadband internet, including $3.2 billion to help poor households pay for the service and $1.9 billion to boost security by removing gear from equipment providers such as Huawei Technologies Co. The funding will “help millions of students, families and…

Posted on December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 by Gigi Sohn

News

Broadband Breakfast: Major Change on the Horizon? Explaining the Affordable, Accessible Internet for All Act

As House GOP leaders ask the Government Accountability Office to audit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect program because of concerns federal funds are being used to “overbuild,” Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have filed legislation that aims to build broadband infrastructure on a national-scale. The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act is…

Posted on December 13, 2020December 22, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Los Angeles Times: Regulatory pressure on Facebook is likely to continue under Biden

Coming on the tail end of President Trump’s administration, the lawsuits against Facebook announced Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission and 46 states and districts might seem like the last angry quack of a lame duck who’s harbored a long-running grievance against social media executives. But the breadth of the bipartisan coalition…

Posted on December 10, 2020December 10, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Big Technology: The Quirk That Stuck Facebook With A Robust Antitrust Case

Today, the Federal Trade Commission sued Facebook for a slew of antitrust violations, targeting the way the company eliminated its top competitors via the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. More than 40 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit mirroring the FTC’s, displaying broad, bipartisan coordination rare in an age of polarized, dysfunctional…

Posted on December 9, 2020December 10, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Bloomberg: The GOP’s Tech Strategy Is About to Change

Now that Democrats are taking over the executive branch, expect Congressional Republicans to shift gears on tech policy. Instead of trying to rewrite key internet legislation, the GOP will likely focus instead on stopping Democrats from doing anything at all. A prime example of this dynamic is the maneuvering around the Federal Communications Commission.…

Posted on December 4, 2020December 7, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

CNET: Net neutrality fight is about to come roaring back

An old battle over who governs the internet will likely reignite as Democrats take control of the Federal Communications Commission following the inauguration of Joe Biden. Reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules thrown out under the Trump administration will likely be a top priority for the agency, experts say. Earlier this…

Posted on December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Gotham Gazette: In Fits and Starts, De Blasio Moves Toward Internet Goal Set in 2014

It took a global pandemic that brought the city to a grinding halt for Mayor Bill de Blasio to order that wi-fi be installed at every homeless shelter in the city housing children and to strike a deal to install high-speed broadband internet in every New York City Housing Authority…

Posted on December 1, 2020December 3, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Ars Technica: Ajit Pai urged to accept Trump loss and stop controversial rulemakings

Congressional Democrats yesterday called on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to "immediately stop work on all partisan, controversial items" in recognition of Joe Biden's election victory over President Donald Trump. It has been standard practice to halt controversial rulemakings in the period between an election and inauguration when control…

Posted on November 11, 2020November 13, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

MIT Technology Review: What Biden means for Big Tech – and Google in particular

Throughout his campaign to win the White House, President-elect Joe Biden has been relatively quiet about the technology industry. In a revealing January 2020 interview with the New York Times editorial board, Biden said that he wanted to revoke Section 230; suggested that he disagreed with how friendly the Obama administration…

Posted on November 10, 2020November 13, 2020 by Kip Roderick

Media

Bloomberg TV: Biden’s Relationship with Big Tech Will Be Different This Time Around

Silicon Valley won't so easily regain the favored status it held when president-elect Joe Biden last spent time in the White House. Gigi Sohn, distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and former counselor to the chairman of the FCC, speaks with Bloomberg's Caroline Hyde,…