Biden net neutrality and antitrust agenda stalls as nominees languish in Senate

President Joe Biden's ambitious push to restore net neutrality and the technology industry has suffered significant delays because his nominees for top posts have struggled to gain Senate confirmations.

The shortage of key personnel at the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission has prevented Democrats from having a majority at both agencies and stopped them from moving forward with their ambitious antitrust, broadband, and net neutrality goals.

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn, a prominent liberal activist and a former Democratic staffer at the commission, was nominated six months ago, and FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya, a Georgetown University law professor and prominent privacy advocate, was nominated eight months ago. Both nominations have taken significantly longer to get confirmed compared to those nominated under previous administrations.