Gigi Sohn is the Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB), a Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Public Advocate and a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy. She is one of the nation’s leading public advocates for open, affordable and democratic communications networks. In recognition of her expertise and dedication to the public interest in communications, President Biden nominated her to serve on the Federal Communications Commission in October 2021.

From 2013 to 2016, Gigi was Counselor to the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler. Singled out by Chairman Wheeler as “the conscience of the Chairman’s office” for her tireless advocacy on behalf of American consumers and competition, the Daily Dot named Gigi one of the “Heroes Who Saved the Internet” in recognition of her role in the adoption of the FCC’s 2015 Network Neutrality rules.

From 2001-2013, Gigi served as the Co-Founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, a leading communications and intellectual property policy advocacy organization serving the interests of consumers in Washington. She was previously a Project Specialist in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture unit and Executive Director of the Media Access Project, the first public interest communications law firm.

Gigi has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work. Among her most recent honors include the Digital Equity Institute’s Impact Award (March 2024) and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s Louis H. Pollak alumni award for a career advancing social justice through service in the public interest (May 2023).
Gigi lives in Washington, DC with her wife Lara Ballard and their daughter Maxie.