The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the nomination of a man who, if elected commissioner, could protect free speech on the internet.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) senior adviser Nathan Simington moved one step closer to becoming a commissioner in the Federal Communications Commision (FCC). “President Donald Trump’s nomination of Nathan Simington to fill a slot on the FCC cleared the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday,” Deadline reported Dec. 2. Now, all that remains is a “floor vote for final approval,” The Verge reported Dec. 2. The same article went on to explain why Simington is such a threat to liberal Big Tech’s plans:
“If approved, Simington would fill Republican Commissioner Mike O’Rielly’s seat, leaving the agency at 2-2 deadlock when Chairman Ajit Pai steps down on January 20th. Without a Democratic majority at the FCC, the Biden administration will likely have difficulties rolling through any major policy measures until another nominee is vetted and approved.”
Republicans appear optimistic that Simington is uniquely qualified to hold Big Tech accountable when it comes to protecting freedom of speech online. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeted: “Confirming Nathan Simington will be critical for ... holding #BigTech accountable.”
Democrats, by contrast, are already outraged about the prospect of Simington’s nomination to the FCC. Senator Richard Blumental (D-CT) tweeted in response to the Senate Commerce Committee’s vote: “The Senate is rushing to confirm Nathan Simington to the FCC—someone whose sole qualification seems to be his willingness to support President Trump’s indefensible attack on the First Amendment.”
National Journal Senate reporter Zach Cohen claimed on Dec. 3 that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would be “forcing a vote next week on Nathan Simington to sit on the FCC.” Politico congressional reporter Burgess Everett corroborated this claim, stating: “McConnell sets up vote on FCC nominee Nathan Simington for next week. He will be in office into Biden's presidency, one of many nominees the GOP is moving that will outlast Trump.”
Like Trump himself, Simington has terrified both the far left that dominates Big Tech and the left-enabling establishment right who oppose government involvement in regulating social media companies.
Simington “played a significant role in the agency’s social media regulation agenda,” Benton Institute for Broadband & Society reported. The Institute suggested that, if confirmed, “the nomination would represent a significant blow to Republicans who favor a light-touch approach to telecom policy.”
The Institute added that “his nomination would be a victory for Republicans who want to see the FCC take a larger role in regulating social networks.” It also noted that “In Aug, President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew Commissioner O’Rielly’s nomination after O'Rielly gave a speech opposing making changes to Section 230.”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your local representative and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form and help us hold Big Tech accountable
