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

Vice Motherboard: FCC Ignores History, Plans to Rubber Stamp T-Mobile/Sprint Merger

The FCC today announced the agency will approve T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion planned acquisition of Sprint, despite widespread condemnation of the deal by consumer groups, unions, and antitrust experts. These critics have repeatedly noted how a reduction in overall major telecom competitors almost universally results in higher rates and worse overall…

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

News

Reuters: T-Mobile’s deal for Sprint gets big boost from FCC commission

T-Mobile US Inc’s $26 billion acquisition of rival Sprint Corp appeared to win the support of a majority of the Federal Communications Commission on Monday, in a significant step toward the deal’s approval. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, came out in favor of the combination after the companies offered…

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

News

L.A. Times: T-Mobile and Sprint finally found FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s price

The way to Ajit Pai’s heart, apparently, is through rural broadband. The Federal Communications Commission chairman, an eager deregulator who leads the panel’s Republican majority, announced Monday morning that T-Mobile and Sprint have promised even greater public benefits if their merger is allowed to proceed. Those steps were enough to…

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Media

Gigi Sohn Statement on Chairman Pai Statement on T-Mobile-Sprint Merger

This morning, Chairman Ajit Pai put out a statement saying that he will recommend that the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint be approved based on a handful of conditions promised by the companies. The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn: The T-Mobile-Sprint merger is still anticompetitive and anti-consumer.…

Posted on May 20, 2019June 11, 2019 by Gigi Sohn

News

USA Today: T-Mobile, Sprint make concessions, FCC chairman supports $26B merger

T-Mobile and Sprint have made enough concessions that the nation's top telecom regulator is prepared to approve the telecom companies' $26 billion merger. The combined company will sell Sprint's Boost Mobile prepaid cellphone brand and commit to deploying a super-fast, next-generation 5G network covering 97% of the U.S., Federal Communications Commission chairman…

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

News

NBC News: Sprint and T-Mobile deal in line for FCC approval, with 5G the clincher

The head of the U.S. government's wireless regulator is giving the green light to T-Mobile's $26 billion acquisition of Sprint, a deal that will combine the country's third- and fourth-biggest wireless carriers — with some caveats. The deal, which had been opposed by some consumer advocates who said it would…

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

News

The Hill: Tech faces tough choices on rural broadband

Telecom and consumer groups are preparing to make a major push for including billions of dollars for rural broadband funding in any infrastructure deal, even as lawmakers and advocates struggle with tough questions ahead. Democratic leaders signaled that broadband investment could be a major part of the $2 trillion infrastructure…

Posted on May 7, 2019May 7, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Speaking

Oral Testimony of Gigi Sohn Before The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee

Maine L.D. 946, An Act to Protect Privacy of Online Consumer Personal Information Chairman Lawrence, Chairman Berry, members of the Joint Committee, my name is Gigi Sohn. I’m a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy. Prior to that, I served as Counselor to former…

Posted on April 24, 2019April 30, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Media

The Hill: Obama-era FCC counsel: ‘American People will resuscitate’ net neutrality bill in Senate

A former counselor to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman under President Obama on Thursday said that Americans will “resuscitate” a net neutrality bill that Republicans have declared “dead on arrival” in the Senate. “I just have to push back a little bit on this [claim the bill] doesn’t have a chance in…

Posted on April 11, 2019April 11, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Media

Gigi Sohn Statement on Passage of HR 1644, the Save the Internet Act by the House of Representatives

This morning, the House of Representatives passed HR 1644, the Save the Internet Act. The bill would restore the 2015 Open Internet Order, which included the strongest-ever net neutrality rules and restored the FCC’s authority to oversee broadband Internet access providers under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. The…

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on May 20, 2019June 11, 2019 by Gigi Sohn

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on May 20, 2019May 21, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on May 7, 2019May 7, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on April 24, 2019April 30, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on April 11, 2019April 11, 2019 by Kip Roderick

Posted on April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 by Gigi Sohn