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Below: A new video disputes claims that Twitter censored pro-Trump views before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and senators call for a comprehensive generative AI report. First: | Biden's new FCC nominee faces a less hostile Senate GOP |  Anna Gomez appears before a Senate panel for her nomination to be an FCC commissioner on Thursday. (Shutterstock) | | | When Gigi Sohn, President Biden's initial pick for the Federal Communications Commission, first appeared in the Senate in 2021, she faced instant GOP opposition. Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), the ranking Republican of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he was "concerned" about the former FCC staffer's "record of expressing hyperpartisan views on many critical matters," including net neutrality. Other GOP lawmakers took aim at Sohn's past tweets criticizing Fox News, with Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) asking the nominee if she was "biased against them" and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) pressing her on whether she would seek to "silence" viewpoints at the FCC. Sohn pushed back, saying that she made the comments while serving in her "role as a public interest advocate" and that it would have no bearing on her FCC work. But the response did little to assuage Republicans, who would vehemently oppose her ultimately failed nomination. The standoff has left Biden's FCC without a majority more than two years into his term. So far, Biden's new FCC nominee is facing far smoother sailing. Testifying at her first nomination hearing on Thursday, longtime telecommunications lawyer Anna Gomez faced little of the partisan sparring that marked Sohn's appearances. Cruz, now the Commerce panel's top Republican, directed his most pointed barbs at the FCC's current direction under Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, including the agency's recent handling of the Tegna deal and its proposals to tackle digital discrimination. | | But he and other Republicans did not express significant concern over Gomez's nomination or any of her past political remarks. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who accused Sohn of engaging in "racialization" in her political rhetoric, did not direct any questions at Gomez. Republicans including Sen. John Thune (S.D.) pressed Gomez on divisive policy questions, including her stance on net neutrality and whether broadband providers should be subject to more stringent utility-style regulation under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. (Gomez voiced support for both but said it would be preferable for Congress to resolve the issues.) She appeared to score some points with Republicans, though, including by agreeing with Cruz that fears about the repeal of net neutrality wrecking the internet were at times "hyperbolic." Republicans and even Democrats may still oppose Gomez's nomination, but the muted tone of her first hearing could signal a less contentious battle over her pick. Sohn withdrew in March after a bruising 16-month battle over her nomination, citing "unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks" seeded by cable and media industry lobbyists. "The one thing you don't do as a nominee is you don't defend yourself … you've got to keep your mouth shut," she told The Technology 202 following the announcement. While Gomez seemingly did not run into any major hiccups at the hearing, several Democrats whose swing votes could help topple a nominee did not appear Thursday, including Sens. Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Jon Tester (Mont.). Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who came out against Sohn's nomination shortly before her withdrawal, is not currently on the committee. The fate of Gomez's nomination could determine whether the FCC goes the entirety of Biden's first term, and potentially his presidency, without a Democratic majority. Democrats, who for over a year now have called for the Senate to confirm another Democratic appointee to break the agency's 2-2 partisan split, renewed those calls Thursday. "I urge my colleagues to expeditiously move forward on Ms. Gomez's nomination so that we can have a full commission," said Senate Commerce Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). | | "It's been far too long since the Federal Communications Commission had a full five members on the commission: 882 days," Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who chairs the panel's telecom subcommittee, said Thursday. "I hope that sinks in for a bit." | | |  | Our top tabs | | New video disputes claims that Twitter censored pro-Trump views before Jan. 6 attack |  Twitter leaders were intent on keeping pro-Trump sentiment on its platform leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, despite internal warnings of trouble brewing. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post) | | | Twitter leaders were intent on keeping pro-Trump sentiment on its platform leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, despite internal warnings of trouble brewing, our colleague Drew Harwell reports. The report, which cites video call details and internal records, undercuts claims that the company deliberately censored conservative views in the days leading up to the Capitol riot or that Twitter colluded with the Biden administration to freeze former president Donald Trump's account. The company "fought until the end to give some of Trump's most belligerent supporters the benefit of the doubt, even as its internal teams faced an overwhelming volume of tweets threatening retribution in line with Trump's lies that the election had been stolen," Drew writes. Twitter leadership was "reluctant to take action against Trump's account two days after the insurrection, even as lawyers inside the company argued that his continued praise of the Capitol rioters amounted to 'glorification of violence,' an offense punishable then by suspension under Twitter's rules," the report adds. | Senators ask GAO to craft wide-ranging generative AI assessment |  Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked for a detailed assessment on generative AI technologies. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) | | | Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a detailed assessment on generative artificial intelligence technologies, according to a letter first shared with The Technology 202. The letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro asks the agency to craft a comprehensive assessment of the potential harms of generative AI and how to mitigate them. "In order to draw the maximum benefits from advances in AI, we must carefully study and understand its costs," the letter says. "Congress urgently requires the non-partisan, technical expertise that GAO is well placed to deliver," it adds. The letter refers to generative AI as a "double-edged sword" that has played a positive role in society but has also enabled a range of harms. It asks GAO to address several areas about AI, such as testing and auditing algorithms and privacy concerns when training AI on sensitive data. GAO spokesman Charles Young said that while the agency still needs to formally review the letter, they "are likely to accept it." The agency earlier this month released a two-page "spotlight" sheet on generative AI, discussing the emerging technology's opportunities and challenges for society. The letter comes as Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) outlined a congressional AI regulation plan while President Biden met with AI experts in San Francisco to discuss the technology's opportunities and risks. | Meta to end news access in Canada amid incoming law |  Meta will end news service on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada after the nation passed a bill this week that would require tech platforms to pay media publishers for their content. (Thibault Camus/AP) | | | Meta will end news service on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada after the nation passed a bill requiring tech platforms to pay media publishers for their content, Ismail Shakil and David Ljunggren report for Reuters. "Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act taking effect," the company said in a Thursday statement. The company has previously said that news carries no economic value for its platforms or its users. "The legislation was proposed after complaints from Canada's media industry, which wants tighter regulation of tech companies to prevent them from elbowing news businesses out of the online advertising market," Shakil and Ljunggren write. Meta recently threatened to pull news content in California over related legislative efforts to better compensate news publishers. The company made similar threats last year with a federal bill that would have allowed news publishers to collectively bargain for compensation from tech giants. | | |  | Hill happenings | | | |  | Inside the industry | | | |  | Competition watch | | | |  | Privacy monitor | | | |  | Trending | | | |  | Before you log off | | | That's all for today — thank you so much for joining us! Make sure to tell others to subscribe to The Technology 202 here. Get in touch with tips, feedback or greetings on Twitter or email. | |
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