Senate Invokes Cloture on Rosenworcel

The Senate voted 64-27 Monday night to invoke cloture on FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s reconfirmation, as expected. The bipartisan cloture vote sets up a likely final confirmation floor vote as soon as Tuesday morning. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hadn’t set a final vote time for Rosenworcel as of Monday night.

The reconfirmation would keep the FCC in a 2-2 split while the Senate Commerce Committee considers fellow Democratic commission nominee Gigi Sohn. The committee is eyeing holding a vote to advance Sohn Dec. 15.

Schumer and Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., had praised Rosenworcel in floor speeches. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., confirmed he will again oppose Rosenworcel, as he did in the Senate Commerce vote last week to advance her.

“During her nomination hearing," Rosenworcel "reiterated her position that the FCC should reinstate Obama-era net neutrality regulations, which will once again lead to legal and marketplace uncertainty,” Thune said. “Any attempt by the FCC to use [Communications Act] Title II to create net neutrality restrictions would turn it into a government-regulated utility and stifle our nation’s dynamic and robust e-commerce sector.”