Gigi Sohn, the Biden-era FCC nominee rejected even by Senate Democrats for her radical record, is now attacking President Trump’s reforms to the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Despite being considered too extreme for a Democratic-controlled Senate, Sohn is working behind the scenes with state officials—including some Republicans—to undermine reforms designed to eliminate waste, cut DEI mandates, and allow satellite providers to compete fairly.
The BEAD program was originally pitched as a way to expand internet service to underserved rural areas, but under Biden it became a vehicle for progressive priorities. Funds were distributed with diversity, equity, and climate mandates that favored large, politically connected telecom companies while excluding satellite internet providers such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper.
President Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Assistant Secretary for Telecommunications Arielle Roth announced reforms in September to strip out ideological conditions and make the program technology-neutral. Lutnick made clear the administration’s goal was to deliver affordable internet efficiently, regardless of whether the service came from fiber, cable, or satellite. In rural areas, satellite internet often provides the most cost-effective solution, connecting households at a fraction of the price of fiber.
Sohn has openly opposed these reforms. On LinkedIn, she accused the Trump administration of hurting “rural and low-income households,” despite the fact that satellite access costs an average of $1,500 per home compared to nearly $10,000 for some fiber projects. In Missouri’s latest BEAD proposal, more than 80 percent of funds went to fiber companies while only 13 percent went to satellite, even though satellite covered far more homes for less taxpayer money. Sohn publicly praised Missouri’s broadband director for his proposal, confirming her involvement.
This is not the first time Sohn has tried to use her influence to reshape communications policy. She previously co-founded Public Knowledge, a far-left group that pressured networks to drop conservative outlets like One America News and Newsmax. She also advocated for investigations into Sinclair Broadcast Group for alleged conservative bias. These efforts to censor right-leaning media contributed to her failed FCC nomination, which collapsed when Senate Democrats withdrew support.
Sohn has attempted to reinvent herself as a defender of free speech while simultaneously attacking Trump’s FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Yet her record shows a consistent pattern: silencing conservative voices, steering subsidies toward progressive allies, and pushing ideological mandates.
Republican officials cooperating with Sohn risk helping her undo Trump’s taxpayer-saving reforms and restore a politicized broadband program designed to favor entrenched telecom interests over rural families in need of affordable internet.
