FCC hopeful Gigi Son may be appointed as White House chairman, sources say

If Gigi Son is confirmed to join the FCC, the Biden administration could appoint the ultra-progressive telco maven to chair the powerful commission, insiders told On The Money.

At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Son said any rumors that she wants to become chairman are “false.” However, sources say Son privately told friends that the only reason she held her candidacy for a year and a half was because White House officials assured her they planned to take her seat.

“It would be incredibly embarrassing to drag her now,” one source said.

In particular, people close to Sohn say the administration believes it will be easier to get Senate approval for her nomination as commissioner and then appoint her as chairman to replace Democrat Obama’s Jessica Rosenworthel. Indeed, Biden officials followed a similar pattern when, in 2021, they appointed Lina Khan, a left-leaning anti-technology leader, to chair the FTC.

Neither Son nor the White House responded to a request for comment.

It’s unclear if Son will win the Senate nomination, with Democrat Joe Manchin reportedly still in doubt. If people say the Democrats are hopeful, she will pull through and eventually replace current FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworthel as chair, insiders told On The Money.

Conservatives are concerned that Son, who previously called Fox “dangerous to our democracy” and called on the FCC to look into whether the conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group can keep its broadcast license, will become FCC chairman to revoke the license of right-wing talk radio stations and even cable channels.

“If your license is revoked, your program will be removed immediately,” the source added. Most recently, Son worked for Locast, a startup that intercepted and rebroadcast broadcast signals online without permission from cable companies.

According to The Post, Locast faced a $32 million lawsuit that ended up costing only $1 million to settle after it became clear that Son would be nominated for the FCC.