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

CTPost: State lawmakers concerned over federal net neutrality repeal

HARTFORD — Some lawmakers and government officials want to require internet providers to make all content available to Connecticut users at the same speed, despite a repeal of net neutrality regulations by the FCC in December. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, proposed prohibiting internet service providers in…

Posted on February 28, 2018March 12, 2018 by Gigi Sohn

News

Bloomberg: Sinclair to Sell and Still Run New York and Chicago Stations

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. said it would sell TV stations in New York and Chicago to help get regulators’ approval to buy Tribune Media Co. -- but the broadcaster also said it would still operate the properties that are crown jewels of the $3.9 billion proposed acquisition. (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2018February 24, 2018 by Gigi Sohn

Writing

Wired: Ajit Pai’s Plan Will Take Broadband Away From Poor People

IT’S INDISPUTABLE: A broadband internet connection is vital to full participation in our society and economy. Increasingly, government services and job opportunities can only be accessed online. Indeed, homework assigned to seven out of 10 K-12 students in the US requires internet access, according to a recent study. The internet provides access…

Posted on February 21, 2018February 23, 2018 by Gigi Sohn

News

Silicon Beat: Net neutrality battle: Bicyclist slows real traffic in protest; California bill advances

A bicyclist literally slowed down traffic outside FCC offices in Washington this week in protest, riding the wave of sentiment against the repeal of net neutrality rules. Rob Bliss called his protest “Restoring Automotive Freedom at The FCC,” a dig at the title of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s repeal…

Posted on February 2, 2018February 23, 2018 by Gigi Sohn

Media

Gigi Sohn Statement on AT&T’s Call for an “Internet Bill of Rights”

Today, AT&T placed full-page advertisements in the New York Times and elsewhere calling on Congress to pass an "Internet Bill of Rights" to "ensure consumers are protected" and to provide "predictable rules for how the Internet works." The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn: AT&T's call for an “Internet Bill…

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Gigi Sohn

News

Bloomberg Politics: Skepticism Greets GOP Plan to Restore Open-Internet Rules

A key Republican lawmaker has offered legislation to restore net neutrality protections that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission yanked last week. “Our goal is to preserve access to a free and open internet and to make certain that we’re continuing to see innovation in this space,” Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican who is…

Posted on December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 by Gigi Sohn

Media

1A: Media Mergers And What They Mean For You

The Simpsons, Star Wars and Spider-Man could all be owned by the same company, if Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox is approved. More local TV stations could soon be owned by one controversial company. And internet service providers could start changing how they treat streaming services and sites. The media industry is changing…

Posted on December 18, 2017December 20, 2017 by Gigi Sohn

News

Washington Post: The never ending battle over net neutrality is far from over. Here’s what’s coming next.

The Federal Communications Commission's vote on Thursday to repeal its net neutrality rulesmarked the end of a brief experiment by the network regulator to rein in the tremendous power of Internet providers by treating them like the highly-regulated telecoms. Now, providers will be allowed to speed up some websites — and block or slow down others…

Posted on December 15, 2017December 21, 2017 by Gigi Sohn

Writing

NY Daily News: Online Innovation at Risk Following FCC’s repeal of Net Neutrality Rules

Today’s vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealing its 2015 network neutrality rules will have an especially negative impact on online innovation. The rules prohibited broadband providers like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from favoring or disfavoring any online content. Specifically, the rules prohibited broadband providers from blocking or throttling…

Posted on December 14, 2017December 20, 2017 by Gigi Sohn

News

Rolling Stone: What the Net Neutrality Repeal Means for Us

In a decision dreaded by advocates of a free and open Internet, the Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to overturn regulations mandating net neutrality. The move represented a major victory for Ajit Pai, the former Jeff Sessions staffer and Verizon lawyer who was appointed chairman of the FCC by…