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: Momentum Grows to Shore Up FCC Subsidy Programs, But Deal Elusive

Pressure is rising on the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to rethink an $8 billion fund that subsidizes phone and broadband service, as it teeters on a shrinking budget base. Telecom companies, industry trade groups, and former government officials are ramping up warnings about the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, enabled…

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Speaking

Mapping, Impact & Adoption: A Research Agenda for Effective Rural Broadband Policy

Remarks before the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Broadband's Role in Rural Economic Development: Exploring the Intersection between Community and Agricultural Broadband Needs. The federal government lacks the economic, technical and social science research to make smart decisions on where and how to invest to close the digital divide in…

Posted on January 28, 2021February 2, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Philadelphia Inquirer: How can President Biden help rural America? Fix the internet

In his inaugural speech, President Joe Biden noted the various factions at odds with one another in America, including a rural and urban divide. Lawmakers and residents in rural America know one of the widest divisions is digital, and calls to fix slow or nonexistent internet service there have almost…

Posted on January 21, 2021February 2, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

CNET: Capitol Hill violence stokes ire at Facebook, Google and Twitter

Tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter will likely face increased scrutiny for their role in the buildup to the deadly riots at the US Capitol this week. With Democrats about to control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, there's renewed focus on regulation to tamp down the social media platforms' outsized…

Posted on January 10, 2021January 11, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Media

Sohn calls exorbitant FCC fines on Educational Broadband Service licensees “an abuse of power”

Today, the FCC proposed over $47 million in fines on 10 nonprofit Educational Broadband Service spectrum licensees for allegedly violating rules that the Commission repealed last April. The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn: "This action is the opposite of the 'regulatory humility’ this FCC claims to believe…

Posted on January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 by Gigi Sohn

News

Bloomberg: FCC Democrats Set to Move on Net Neutrality, Broadband Subsidies

A Democratic Federal Communications Commission is poised to restore net neutrality rules and move aggressively to expand broadband subsidies amid the pandemic, after Georgia’s runoff election gave Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. The election results end fears that Senate Republicans would leave the five-member commission evenly split after GOP…

Posted on January 7, 2021January 8, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

Axios: Georgia results sweep away tech’s regulatory logjam

Georgia's election results handing Senate control to Democrats mean the incoming Biden administration can fill key seats at the agencies that regulate tech. That will give Democrats a chance to turn tech policy talk into action and advance legislation on issues like privacy and competition. Without new incoming chairs, the…

Posted on January 7, 2021January 8, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

VOA: Silicon Valley Eager to See How Biden Administration will Approach Tech Issues

During the presidential campaign, candidate Joe Biden was mostly silent about so-called Big Tech. When Biden becomes the next U.S. president on January 20, Silicon Valley will be watching to see how the new administration approaches tech issues. How might the relationship between Washington and Silicon Valley unfold? Linda Moore,…

Posted on December 23, 2020January 4, 2021 by Kip Roderick

News

CNET: Battle to rein in Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to heat up in 2021

Standing behind a podium earlier this month, New York Attorney General Letitia James delivered a blunt message to Facebook. "No company should have this much unchecked power over our personal information and our social interactions," James said, as she announced a massive lawsuit that alleges the social media giant engaged in illegal anticompetitive…

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on January 28, 2021February 2, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on January 21, 2021February 2, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on January 10, 2021January 11, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 by Gigi Sohn

Posted on January 7, 2021January 8, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on January 7, 2021January 8, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on December 24, 2020January 4, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on December 23, 2020January 4, 2021 by Kip Roderick

Posted on December 23, 2020January 4, 2021 by Kip Roderick