{"id":401348,"date":"2022-01-30T05:57:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T02:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle\/"},"modified":"2022-01-30T05:57:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-30T02:57:30","slug":"leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle\/","title":{"rendered":"#Leftist FCC nominee Gigi Sohn faces another &#8216;conflict&#8217; hurdle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40a97caaab1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40a97caaab1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle\/#%E2%80%98Nonprofit_donations\" >\u2018Nonprofit\u2019 donations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle\/#Curious_timing\" >Curious timing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle\/#Grasping_for_problems\" >Grasping for problems?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Leftist FCC nominee Gigi Sohn faces another &#8216;conflict&#8217; hurdle<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/Gasparino_Charles_headshot.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Charles Gasparino\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/Gasparino_Charles_headshot.png?w=152 152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/Gasparino_Charles_headshot.png?w=114 114w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/Gasparino_Charles_headshot.png?w=76 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/Gasparino_Charles_headshot.png?w=38 38w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/Gasparino_Charles_headshot.png 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Gigi Sohn\u2019s journey to the Federal Communications Commission has seen more volatility than the Nasdaq. Expect the fireworks to continue this week as new, troubling details have emerged that could further taint her nomination to one of the country\u2019s most important and powerful regulators of big business.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019ve written in this space, Sohn, a vocal, progressive telecom lawyer and activist who co-founded an advocacy group funded by lefty billionaire \u00adGeorge \u00adSoros, is being vehemently opposed by Senate Republicans. She has received at best lukewarm support from moderate Dems in the Senate, making her nomination a tough lift for the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>Sohn\u2019s latest confirmation hurdle: Her name <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>earing on a settlement agreement between a little-known outfit named Locast and some of the nation\u2019s biggest broadcasters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sohn\u2019s role in the deal \u2014 or lack of it \u2014 and the conflicts it may pose, varies depending on whom you speak to. But how these facts shake out will likely decide the fate of Sohn\u2019s up-again down-again nomination, telecom insiders tell me.<\/p>\n<p>Locast was created in 2018 by a progressive telecom exec named David Goodfriend to do something pretty innovative: Giving people who can\u2019t afford cable access high-quality local programming by siphoning and streaming broadcast signals of the big <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> companies. The service was billed as a freebie, but Locast welcomed $5 monthly donations.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Nonprofit_donations\"><\/span>\u2018Nonprofit\u2019 donations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The whole operation was legal, \u00adLocast contended, because it was a nonprofit, which could under law take those signals and distribute them to customers as long as the entity doesn\u2019t make any money.<\/p>\n<p>Sounds legit, right? Well, not so fast. What Locast was doing understandably irked the big networks, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. They sued, stating that Locast violated copyright laws, essentially stealing their content. Moreover, Locast\u2019s ask of that $5 donation meant it was looking to make money.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/net-neutrality-.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A router and internet switch are displayed.\" class=\"wp-image-21020973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/net-neutrality-.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/net-neutrality-.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/net-neutrality-.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>FCC nominee Gigi Sohn helped push for net neutrality laws during the Obama administration.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Locast was run by a nonprofit named Sports Fans Coalition of New York. The outfit had some smart legal minds advising it, including Sohn, a Georgetown law professor with a deep r\u00e9sum\u00e9 in telecom law. She even played a key role in crafting the \u201cnet neutrality\u201d rules pushed during the Obama years that placed heavy regulatory burdens on cable companies and Internet service providers, essentially treating them as utilities when it comes to distributing their content.<\/p>\n<p>Both sides went to court confident of the path to victory, but in September of last year, Southern District Judge Louis Stanton sided with the big broadcasters. Locast was forced to shut down; the judge said the company wasn\u2019t a nonprofit \u2014 those donations in his view went beyond what is \u201cnecessary to defray the actual and reasonable costs of maintaining and operating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The terms seemed steep: Locast appeared to owe $32 million in damages. Goodfriend and Sohn both signed the settlement and that was supposed to be the end of the story.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/GigiSohn2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"President and CEO of Public Knowledge Gigi Sohn testifies during a hearing before the Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.\" class=\"wp-image-21021000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/GigiSohn2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/GigiSohn2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/GigiSohn2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sohn\u2019s nomination has been opposed by Senate Republicans. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But Sohn\u2019s nomination to the FCC \u2014 a key business regulator since it oversees big media and big tech \u2014 gave the Locast saga new life. Confidential documents recently obtained by GOP members of the Senate and reviewed by The Post show Locast paid a fraction of that $32 million, and the deal was officially cut with an interesting degree of timing.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Curious_timing\"><\/span>Curious timing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Parties, including Sohn, signed the paperwork a day after she was nominated by Biden to the FCC, which means it appears that the broadcasters and Locast were negotiating the seemingly light terms knowing full well she was on her way possibly becoming their regulator.<\/p>\n<p>The backstory on all of this could derail Sohn\u2019s nomination as it makes it way to a vote in the Commerce Committee this Wednesday, telecom insiders tell me. Roger Wicker, the ranking Republican on the committee, questioned Sohn during her Dec. 1 hearing. He then asked her in writing how \u00adLocast came up with the full $32 million payment to the broadcasters \u2014 a seemingly big chunk of change for an outfit billed as a not-for-profit.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Sohn\u2019s answer: \u201cThe settlement funds come from the amount collected to fund [Locast\u2019s] operation after [Locast] pays its vendors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Wicker has reviewed the same documents seen by me, including the timing of the deal and its monetary terms: $700,000 plus whatever Locast\u2019s equipment and infrastructure is valued at, a total figure estimated to be far less than $1 million. Sohn didn\u2019t mention the actual settlement number during her testimony.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A senior GOP committee aide told the Post \u201cdiscrepancies between [Sohn\u2019s] testimony at the hearing and the details of the settlement \u2026 are driving Wicker to call for a new hearing.\u201d Wicker has previously stated: \u201cMy initial review of the confidential settlement raises several troubling questions about Ms. Sohn\u2019s nomination. \u201c<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Grasping_for_problems\"><\/span>Grasping for problems?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Sohn and Goodfriend, for their parts, declined to comment. A person close to both with knowledge of the settlement says, however, that Wicker is grasping for conflicts that don\u2019t exist and certainly shouldn\u2019t disqualify Sohn from the FCC.<\/p>\n<p>First, Sohn didn\u2019t negotiate the settlement; she was a board member of Locast, not an officer. The deal was done by solely by Goodfriend\u2019s attorneys and the broadcasters\u2019 reps.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/Roger-Wicker.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker \" class=\"wp-image-21021057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/Roger-Wicker.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/Roger-Wicker.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/Roger-Wicker.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Sen. Roger Wicker has also reviewed the documents about the Locast settlement.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The judge, this person said, set the monetary liability at no more than $32 million \u2014 it was a ceiling, not a mandate. The broadcasters would have to show damages to collect that much, which would have been difficult given the smallish scale of Locast\u2019s business.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why the broadcasters settled for so little in monetary damages. They also got something even more valuable: A stake through the heart of Locast. Sohn signed the deal to negate her and the rest of Locast from creating a Locast 2.0 in the future. Her signature had nothing to do with the terms, which were negotiated separately.<\/p>\n<p>Compelling arguments, but others believe appearances do matter. Wouldn\u2019t it have been easier for Sohn to resign from Locast as the two sides were negotiating the settlement and avoid looking like she\u2019s getting something from people she could be regulating? Certainly everyone knew she was poised for the FCC post; her name even leaked as a possible chair of the regulatory body before the deal was cut.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have never seen anything like this,\u201d said one veteran industry insider. \u201cGigi may have no substantive conflicts, but the whole thing looks bad. You would think the Biden White House would have told her to resign from Locast.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/01\/29\/leftist-fcc-nominee-gigi-sohn-faces-another-conflict-hurdle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Leftist FCC nominee Gigi Sohn faces another &#8216;conflict&#8217; hurdle&#8221; Gigi Sohn\u2019s journey to the Federal Communications Commission has seen more volatility than the Nasdaq. Expect the fireworks to continue this week as new, troubling details have emerged that could further taint her nomination to one of the country\u2019s most important and powerful regulators of big&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":401349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/GigiSohn-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[77814,125129,75942,77826,80782,125181,40445,82258,70289],"class_list":["post-401348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-telecom","tag-1-29-22","tag-fcc","tag-federal-regulation","tag-george-soros","tag-internet-service-providers","tag-media","tag-net-neutrality","tag-senate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}