Biden nominates veteran government lawyer Anna Gomez as FCC Commissioner, and nominates Democrat Geoffrey Starks and Republican Brendan Carr for new FCC terms
The Hollywood ReporterAlex Weprin
Context & Ripple Effects
This nomination ends a long stall at the agency: Biden first named Jessica Rosenworcel chair and tapped Gigi Sohn for the third Democratic seat in late 2021, but the Sohn nomination languished without Senate confirmation, leaving the FCC split along party lines. Days before this announcement, reporting surfaced that Biden had settled on veteran government lawyer Anna Gomez instead.
By bundling new-term nominations for sitting commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr alongside Gomez — who had been confirmed in 2017 and reconfirmed in 2019 respectively — the White House is packaging a full five-seat slate in one move, making Gomez's confirmation the swing vote for a 3-2 Democratic majority.
First-order effects
If the Senate confirms Gomez, the FCC regains its fifth commissioner and a working Democratic majority, ending more than two years of deadlock; Starks and Carr get renewed mandates rather than facing term-expiry uncertainty.
Second-order effects
A seated 3-2 majority unblocks the FCC's regulatory pipeline, including the equipment-security agenda visible across its recent actions — auction proceeds earmarked for rip-and-replace of Chinese telecom gear, and drafting work on import restrictions covering foreign drones, robotic devices, and Chinese data center components.
Third-order effects
The pattern — a stalled first nominee replaced by a safer career-lawyer pick to secure a one-vote Senate margin — points to FCC composition being decided by razor-thin partisan arithmetic, which in turn makes the agency's rulemaking cadence hostage to single-seat confirmations.
The trend: FCC policy direction is increasingly set not by the agency itself but by whether a single contested commissioner nominee can clear a narrowly divided Senate.
I strongly support President Biden's nomination of Anna Gomez to the @FCC. Anna's breadth of experience — including her time at @NTIAgov — will provide critical insight in our efforts to close the digital divide. https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Congratulations to Anna M. Gomez for being nominated to serve as @FCC Commissioner. Her hometown of Orlando and @gwlaw alumni are proud of her accomplishments. We look forward to working with her on keeping Central Florida connected and safe. https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
The @FCC's work is critical to our economy and America's global leadership. We congratulate Anna Gomez on being nominated by @POTUS to serve as an FCC Commissioner and urge the Senate to confirm her, along with @GeoffreyStarks & @BrendanCarrFCC. https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Congratulations to FCC nominees @BrendanCarrFCC, @GeoffreyStarks, and @AMG8697! Commissioners Carr and Starks have served with distinction for years and Anna Gomez would leverage a wide range of public and private experience, including @FCC and @NTIAgov. https://www.whitehouse.go…
Congratulations to Anna Gomez @AMG8697, @BrendanCarrFCC, and @GeoffreyStarks on their nominations to join or remain at the @FCC. T-Mobile is ready to work with these leaders to deliver connectivity to all Americans! https://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Truly wild that this is happening midway through 2023 — a reminder of how effectively Republicans have used Congressional deadlock to shut down administrative agencies https://www.theverge.com/...