The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation advance President Joseph Biden’s nominee to fill a vacant seat at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week.
The nomination of Anna Gomez was approved by the committee on Wednesday, and the matter now goes before the full U.S. Senate for a confirmation vote.
“Ms. Gomez is a dedicated public servant with 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry,” Senator Maria Cantwell said in her opening statements during the committee hearing on Wednesday. “If confirmed, she will be the first Latina on the Commission in more than 20 years. Ms. Gomez has demonstrated she has the experience and judgment to be highly effective in this role as commissioner, and has earned bipartisan support for her nomination.”
Biden nominated Gomez in May, after his prior nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew from consideration following a contentious confirmation process.
Gomez currently serves as the deputy administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a unit of the Department of Commerce, where she advises Biden and others on telecom-related policy matters.
Gomez has the support of a number of telecommunications firms and public interest groups, including Comcast and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).
