As you know, the FCC has been in a 2-to-2 deadlock for several years. Many weeks ago, the Senate Commerce Committee approved the nomination of Ann Gomez to serve as the third democratic Commissioner on the FCC. While efforts were made, the Senate was unable to bring her nomination to the floor for a vote before the August recess. Nonetheless, Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer has filed a “cloture motion” in the Senate. This will set up Commissioner Gomez for a Senate vote on her nomination after the August recess in September.
As we reported previously, the appointment of Anna Gomez will break the current deadlock. It will give the Democrats a 3-2 majority. So, we can expect to see new democratic policies enacted in the fall. Most notably, we are likely to see a move to reinstate the net neutrality regulations. However, we are unlikely to see any relaxation of the FCC ownership rules. In fact, we may see proposals that seek to tighten up the ownership regulations.