OTI Calls on Senate Committee to Advance Anna Gomez’s Nomination to the FCC, Urges Senate Majority Leader Schumer To Hold Floor Vote Before August Recess

On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee will consider the nomination of Anna Gomez to the Federal Communications Commission. The committee is also considering the renominations of Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr, both of whom are nearing the end of their terms at the agency.

Gomez — currently Senior Advisor for International Information and Communications Policy at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy — has more than 25 years of experience in telecommunications and technology issues, including 12 years of experience at the FCC and more than 4 years of experience at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. If confirmed, Gomez would be the first Latina to sit on the FCC since 2001.

The following quote can be attributed to Lilian Coral, Head of Technology and Democracy Programs at New America, and Senior Director of New America’s Open Technology Institute:

“OTI strongly supports the nomination of Anna Gomez. She is an exceedingly qualified nominee with many years of experience, a clear commitment to the public interest, and the skills necessary to advance the FCC’s mission. We look forward to the role that Gomez undoubtedly will play in ensuring consumers have access to robust, affordable broadband service, and implementing federal spectrum policy in the public interest. And in an America where Hispanics account for 52% of the U.S.’s overall population growth — a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group — we are excited to see, after more than 20 years, a Latina represented on the Commission again.

Additionally, we applaud the renomination of Geoffrey Starks, who has been an effective advocate for consumers and should be reconfirmed without delay.

We urge the Senate Commerce Committee to advance the nomination of Anna Gomez and the renomination of Geoffrey Starks to the FCC at tomorrow’s markup, and we call on Senate Majority Leader Schumer to schedule a full vote before the Senate departs for the August recess.

​​The important work of the FCC has been slowed or jeopardized by the unprecedented 2+ year partisan delay in fully staffing the FCC, and the time to end the stalemate is now.”