{"id":1115784,"date":"2021-12-13T19:29:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T00:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1115784"},"modified":"2021-12-13T19:29:05","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T00:29:05","slug":"gigi-sohns-time-at-a-shuttered-streaming-service-could-sink-her-nomination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gigi-sohns-time-at-a-shuttered-streaming-service-could-sink-her-nomination\/","title":{"rendered":"Gigi Sohn\u2019s Time At A Shuttered Streaming Service Could Sink Her Nomination"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgigi-sohns-time-at-a-shuttered-streaming-service-could-sink-her-nomination%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1115784&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>President Joe Biden\u2019s plans to confirm Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may be in jeopardy as concerns mount over her past work at a streaming service shut down for violating the law.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Moderate Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee Jon Tester and Kyrsten Sinema are holding up Sohn\u2019s nomination, expressing concerns over whether Sohn will have to recuse herself from certain FCC matters due to her prior involvement with streaming service Locast, according to two people familiar with the matter.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Committee Chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell proposed a deal last week in which Sohn would recuse herself from certain portions of the FCC\u2019s mission if confirmed, irking the White House and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who worried that Sohn\u2019s potential recusal could neuter the Democrats\u2019 FCC agenda.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Though Tester and Sinema have not indicated their opposition to Sohn, her nomination still hangs in the balance as she is unlikely to receive any Republican votes.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>President Joe Biden\u2019s plans to confirm Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may be in jeopardy as concerns mount over her past work at a streaming service shut down for violating the law.<\/p>\n<p>Moderate Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee Jon Tester and Kyrsten Sinema are holding up Sohn\u2019s nomination, expressing concerns over her prior involvement with streaming service Locast, according to two people familiar with the matter. The concerns largely center on whether Sohn\u2019s involvement with the company may force her to recuse herself from issues related to broadcasting companies, a substantial chunk of the FCC\u2019s purview.<\/p>\n<p>Sohn <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/01\/gigi-sohn-federal-communications-commission-joe-biden-fcc-nominee\/\">served<\/a> as a director of Locast, a now-defunct streaming service that re-transmitted local television broadcasts over the internet. The company was shut down in September after a judge ruled the service did not qualify for a copyright exemption and was thereby violating copyright law. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/27\/supply-chain-broadband-brendan-carr-semiconductor-internet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: The Supply Chain Crisis Could Threaten Rural America\u2019s Internet Access)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Prior to Sohn\u2019s confirmation hearing in early December, the broadcast industry\u2019s trade organization the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nab.org\/documents\/newsroom\/pressRelease.asp?id=6242\">statement<\/a>&nbsp;arguing that Sohn\u2019s time at Locast constituted a conflict of interest and that the group was working with lawmakers to address potential ethical concerns. Sohn also faced several questions during her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.senate.gov\/services\/files\/9C503417-9177-451D-8705-818D0C3A1C0D\">hearing<\/a> over whether she would recuse herself from matters related to Locast, to which she said she would.<\/p>\n<p>When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Tester\u2019s office declined to answer specific questions regarding Sohn, but said that the senator had a fruitful one on one meeting with the nominee. Sinema\u2019s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7311776\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"38\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7311776\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Georgetown University Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy fellow Gigi Sohn testifies before the House Judiciary Committee\u2019s Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill March 12, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Neither Tester nor Sinema have publicly indicated their opposition to Sohn; however, concerns over Sohn\u2019s tenure at Locast have nevertheless prompted Democrats to rethink their strategy regarding her nomination. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/29\/joe-biden-federal-communications-commission-gigi-sohn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Biden\u2019s FCC Picks Could Bring Back A More Regulated Internet)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Committee Chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell proposed a deal last week in which Sohn would recuse herself from certain portions of the FCC\u2019s mission if confirmed, Fox Business first <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CGasparino\/status\/1468332097878249473\">reported<\/a>. The plan reportedly irked the White House and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who worried that Sohn\u2019s potential recusal could neuter the Democrats\u2019 FCC agenda as Sohn could be forced to recuse herself from matters related to broadcast companies, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/media\/oann-owner-says-network-doesnt-support-biden-fcc-pick\/\">according<\/a>&nbsp;to The Washington Free Beacon.<\/p>\n<p>Negotiations over Sohn\u2019s nomination spurred Cantwell to delay Sohn\u2019s committee vote, which was scheduled for this Wednesday, ostensibly to allow committee members additional time to meet with Sohn, Politico first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/morning-tech\/2021\/12\/09\/storm-clouds-ahead-for-sohn-799372\">reported<\/a>. However, Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, the committee\u2019s ranking member, attributed the delay to a request made by him and Cantwell to the FCC regarding the exact \u201cscope of work\u201d from which Sohn would be required to recuse herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decision to delay the committee\u2019s vote on Ms. Sohn\u2019s nomination highlights the seriousness of the issues surrounding the specifics of her ethics agreement,\u201d Wicker said in a statement shared with the DCNF. \u201cWe are all aware of the recent legal activity involving Ms. Sohn and a corporate board on which she has served.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sohn defended herself in her committee hearing, pointing out that she takes \u201cvery seriously allegations of bias,\u201d and that she has been working with the Office of Government Ethics to \u201cmake sure I have no conflicts and I have no predetermined biases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though Tester and Sinema have not indicated their opposition to Sohn, her nomination still hangs in the balance as she is unlikely to receive any Republican votes. GOP lawmakers have <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/12\/gigi-sohn-federal-communications-commission-ron-johnson-marsha-blackburn\/\">pointed<\/a>&nbsp;to Sohn\u2019s previous comments, including an old tweet in which she described Fox News as \u201cstate-sponsored propaganda,\u201d as evidence of Sohn\u2019s partisanship, with Sen. Lindsay Graham describing her as a \u201cpolitical ideologue who has disdain for conservatives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden\u2019s plans to confirm Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may be in jeopardy as concerns mount over her past work at a streaming service shut &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1115784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1115784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1115784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1115784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1115784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}