Gigi Sohn

Gigi Beth Sohn[1] (born August 2, 1961) is an American lawyer who is the co-founder (with Laurie Racine and David Bollier) of Public Knowledge.[2] She previously worked for the Ford Foundation.[3] In 2013, Tom Wheeler hired her into a senior staff position at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[4] She left there shortly after Donald Trump's election in 2016. In July 2017, she held fellowship positions with Georgetown Law's Institute for Technology Law & Policy, Open Society Foundations, and Mozilla.[5]

Gigi B. Sohn
Sohn in 2012
Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
Nominee
Assumed office
Pending Senate Approval
PresidentJoe Biden
Personal details
Spouse(s)
Lara Ballard
​
(m. 2007)​
Children1
EducationBoston University (BS)
University of Pennsylvania (JD)

Early life and education

Sohn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcasting and film from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.[6]

Career

From 2013-2016, Gigi served as Counselor to Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and from 2001-2013 was Co-Founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, a leading communications and technology policy advocacy organization serving the interests of consumers.[6] She was previously a Project Specialist in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture unit and Executive Director of the Media Access Project, a communications public interest law firm.[6]

She is a non-resident fellow at the University of Southern California Annenberg Center, and a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Law. She has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law,. Sohn was executive director of the Media Access Project, a public interest law firm.[7] She is known for her "personal relationships with power players all over the capital."[8]

Sohn is an EFF Pioneer Award winner.[9] In November 2013, she was hired by the FCC as special counsel for external affairs.[4] Sohn is the host of Tech on the Rocks, a podcast focused on media, tech policy and broadband.

FCC nomination

On October 26, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Sohn to serve as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission.[10][11] Initial hearings were held before the Senate Commerce Committee on her nomination on December 1, 2021. Sohn's initial nomination stalled in the committee and was returned to President Biden on January 3, 2022.[12]

President Biden renominated Sohn the next day. The committee held a second round of hearings to examine Sohn's nomination on February 9, 2022. On March 3, 2022, the committee deadlocked on the nomination in a party-line vote. The entire Senate must now vote to discharge the nomination from the committee.[13][14] Her nomination is currently pending before the committee.

Personal life

Sohn is Jewish and married her wife Lara Ballard in August 2007.[15] Sohn adopted a daughter in 2004.

References
  1. "Gigi Beth Sohn Profile".
  2. "Gigi Sohn, President and Co-Founder of Public Knowledge". Stanford Law School. March 1, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  3. "Annual Report 2000" (PDF). Annual Report. Ford Foundation: 17. April 2001. ISSN 0071-7274. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2012. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  4. Wyatt, Edward (November 5, 2013). "FCC's Chief Hires a Critic of the Agency". New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  5. Brodkin, Jon (July 12, 2017). "How to write a meaningful FCC comment supporting net neutrality: Former FCC official explains how to get your point across to Ajit Pai". Ars Technica. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  6. "Gigi B. Sohn (bio)". Practicing Law Institute. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  7. Albanese, Andrew Richard (May 21, 2010). "LJ Q&A: Knowledge is Power-Gigi Sohn". Library Journal. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  8. Jerome, Sara (December 15, 2010). "Head of consumer group takes on FCC's net neutrality plan". The Hill. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  9. "EFF Honors Craigslist, Gigi Sohn, and Jimmy Wales with Pioneer Awards". Electronic Frontier Foundation. 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  10. "President Biden Announces Key Nominations". The White House. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  11. Naylor, Brian (October 26, 2021). "Biden makes 2 key, boundary-breaking FCC nominations". NPR. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  12. "PN1323 — Gigi B. Sohn — Federal Communications Commission 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  13. Brodkin, Jon (3 March 2022). "Biden FCC pick advances in Senate by 14-14 vote amid Republican opposition". Ars Technica. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  14. Zakrzewski, Cat (3 March 2022). "Democrats move a step closer to breaking deadlocks at FTC and FCC". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  15. Kurlantzick, Joshua (April 11, 2008). "A Red Carpet for Gay Weddings". New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2014.


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