Former Fox Exec Decries Apparent Sohn Smear Campaign

FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn

Former Fox executive Preston Padden has  again urged the Senate Commerce Committee to confirm longtime consumer advocate and net neutrality proponent Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission.

“I fear that this esteemed Committee, like Ms. Sohn, is in danger of falling victim to the worst, and most cynical and baseless smear campaign ever waged against a nominee to serve on the FCC,” Padden said in a letter to lawmakers. “Ms. Sohn’s only sin is that she roots for the underdog and for consumers.”

Padden, who worked at Fox in the 1990s, added that Sohn helped the company obtain waivers of FCC rules, which Fox needed in order to launch Fox Broadcasting Company as the fourth over-the-air network.

“I worked for Rupert Murdoch for seven years and secured for him waivers of FCC Rules that stood in the way of the launch of Fox Broadcasting Company,” Padden wrote.

He added that he recently reminded Murdoch that Sohn “saw the pro-consumer benefits of a fourth network,” and was “was very helpful to our efforts to fend off fierce lobbying attacks from the three established networks.”

The letter marks the second time Padden has urged the Senate Commerce Committee to confirm Sohn, who was initially nominated to the FCC in October of 2021.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden renominated Sohn to serve on the agency, which is deadlocked with two Republicans and two Democrats. That political gridlock has prevented FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel from moving forward with attempts to restore the Obama-era net neutrality rules, which prohibited broadband carriers from blocking or throttling traffic and from charging higher fees for prioritized delivery.