The negotiations over the $3.5 trillion (more likely $4 trillion)
so-called Infrastructure Bill of President Biden's and his fellow
Democrats are foremost on the minds of many in Washington
but Biden has another bee in his bonnet: Supercharging the
regulatory state. Toward that end, he has nominated progressive
(read: radical left-winger) Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communi-
cations Commission. Biden and his White House crew have
praised Sohn as "one of the nation's leading public advocates
for open, affordable, and democratic communication networks."
Translated into truth-speak, this statement of enthusiastic
support means Sohn is in favor of utilizing the FCC's regulatory
power to handcuff broadband providers and to diminish
the First Amendment rights of conservatives.
Sohn founded Public Knowledge, a lefty group that has long
worked for increased government control of the internet as
well as the media in general. She was a major force in the
battle to enact the "net neutrality" regulation which classified
broadband providers as common carriers under Title II of the
Communications Act of 1934, as well as the Wheeler rule,
created by Obama FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler (to whom
Sohn was a counselor) which banned broadband carriers
from charging heavy-bandwidth using websites. i.e. Facebook
higher prices to carry their content. You know the lefties' rule
regarding a company making a profit; profits must be punished
and restrained in the name of economic justice. Broadband
investment declined, before making a comeback when then-
President Trump's FCC tossed out the Wheeler rule.
Progressives want the government to regulate broadband rates
like electricity prices, and Sohn is rather warm to the idea.
Furthermore, Sohn is certainly no friend of the First Amendment
as she is very keen on using the FCC's regulatory power to
censor conservative media and revive a version of its antiquated
and outmoded Fairness Doctrine which made sense in the days of
far fewer television and radio stations and the internet was not
yet invented, but not today now that there are dozens of internet
sites, more television networks, and more radio networks as well.
Sohn especially has it in for Fox News: "For all my concerns
about #Facebook, I believe that Fox News has the most negative
impact on our democracy." Could Sohn be concerned about more
American TV audience members turning conservative, therefore
eschewing the Liberal Establishment media and their dreck?
Horrors!
Additionally, Sohn has suggested using the FCC's power over
broadcast licenses to censor conservative outlets, such as Fox
News. She claims to be a supporter of "a diversity of voices in
the media" but doesn't want to extend that diversity to conservatives.
That's the left-wingers' idea of diversity: everyone, regardless of
racial, gender, gender-preference, and other classifications make
a mighty chorus, but no righty voices are welcome and no one
in the chorus is allowed to sing from the conservative songbook.
The FCC is currently evenly divided, 2-2, and if Sohn is confirmed
(and she definitely should NOT be!) the Dems will make a
blitzkrieg to enact the progressive agenda in the agency. Biden
will be all too happy to do this favor for the predominant progressive
wing of the Democrat Party, as they helped him to get elected,
reasoning that at least Biden is not anything at all like Trump.
If these people get their way, the First Amendment will be on
its deathbed.
Sohn clearly cannot be placed on the FCC. Furthermore, Biden may
make her Chairwoman as soon as she is safely aboard the FCC
ship. He's done something like this before, nominating and getting
far left-wing Lina Khan on the Federal Trade Commission, then
making her the FTC's Chairwoman.
The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a confirmation hearing
next week. All senators on the committee should ask her some tough,
probing questions, regardless of their party affiliations, for this is not a
matter of political loyalties; this is a matter of adherence to and
preservation of constitutional law.
MEM
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