Biden Renominates Rosenworcel, Names Her Chair; Picks Sohn for FCC; Davidson to NTIA

President Joe Biden intends to renominate FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and designate her as the permanent agency head, the White House announced Tuesday. Biden also intends to nominate public interest lawyer and ex-FCC official Gigi Sohn to the vacant commission seat and Alan Davidson for NTIA administrator. All three moves were expected: See here and here.

Confirmation of Rosenworcel and Sohn would bring the FCC to a 3-2 Democratic majority after nine months of a 2-2 partisan split. Democratic lawmakers and others have been increasingly concerned in recent weeks that further White House delay in naming new FCC nominees would result in the commission shifting to a 2-1 Republican majority in January, when Rosenworcel would otherwise have to leave absent reconfirmation. The FCC and Sohn didn’t immediately comment.

Rosenworcel has long drawn significant support from congressional Democrats, including Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania. Sohn as a top aide to then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler was seen as key to the commission’s decision to use Communications Act Title II as a legal basis for its now-rescinded 2015 net neutrality rules.

Davidson has held roles at Mozilla, was Commerce Department digital economy director 2015-17, and was Google's first U.S. public policy director. He was involved in Mozilla’s unsuccessful legal challenge to FCC repeal of 2015 net neutrality rules. Davidson didn’t immediately comment.