Gigi Sohn

Gigi Beth Sohn (born August 2, 1961) is an American lawyer who is the co-founder (with Laurie Racine and David Bollier) of Public Knowledge. She previously worked for the Ford Foundation. In 2013, Tom Wheeler hired her into a senior staff position at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She left there shortly after Donald Trump's election in 2016. In July 2017, she held fellowship positions with Georgetown Law's Institute for Technology Law & Policy, Open Society Foundations, and Mozilla.

Early life and education Sohn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcasting and film from Boston University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Career From 2013 to 2016, Gigi served as Counselor to Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and from 2001 to 2013 was co-founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, a communications and technology policy advocacy organization serving the interests of consumers.

She is a non-resident fellow at the University of Southern California Annenberg Center, and a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Law. She has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She is known for her "personal relationships with power players all over the capital."

Sohn is an EFF Pioneer Award winner. In November 2013, she was hired by the FCC as special counsel for external affairs.

Since 2018, Sohn has been a member of the Board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

FCC nomination

On October 26, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Sohn to serve as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. While supported by Senate Democrats, Sohn's nomination was opposed by Republicans, alleging that she would censor conservative speech, and claiming her past involvement in Locast was a conflict of interest. The Wall Street Journal editorial board additionally criticized her opposition to the acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Sohn faced intense lobbying and astroturfing efforts from the telecom industry, including groups with reported ties such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, after which she was renominated. Consumer Technology Association (CTA) president Gary J. Shapiro suspected that the deadlock was the result of homophobia, as Sohn would have been the first FCC commissioner to be openly gay.

On February 14, 2023, the Commerce Committee held a third nomination hearing. On March 7, Sohn withdrew her nomination, citing extensive lobbying and "unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks" against her.

American Association for Public Broadband In May 2023, Sohn became executive director of the newly formed American Association for Public Broadband which represents community-owned broadband networks and co-ops.

Personal life Sohn married Lara Ballard in August 2007.