President Joe Biden nominated Anna Gomez, a veteran government telecom lawyer, to serve as the third Democrat at the Federal Communications Commission on Monday.

Gomez’s confirmation would unlock a more than two-year FCC stalemate, allowing the agency to approve more contentious telecom regulations like reinstating nationwide net neutrality protections. As of publication, it’s unclear when the Senate plans to schedule its first confirmation hearing on Gomez’s nomination. 

“I congratulate Anna Gomez on her nomination to serve as FCC Commissioner,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement Monday. “She brings with her a wealth of telecommunications experience, a substantial record of public service, and a history of working to ensure the U.S. stays on the cutting edge of keeping us all connected.

The nomination of Gomez, a longtime government lawyer turned corporate law partner, comes months after Biden’s previous pick, Gigi Sohn, withdrew her nomination. First nominated in October 2021, Sohn’s nomination was a huge win for progressives who favored her decades of experience in public advocacy work. Sohn previously served as an aide to former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler, who first implemented net neutrality protections in 2015.

Sohn’s nomination was met with an intense and oftentimes bad-faith opposition campaign spearheaded by Republicans. The campaign drew out her confirmation process for more than 16 months before she stepped away.

“I could not have imagined that legions of cable and media industry lobbyists, their bought-and-paid-for surrogates, and dark money political groups with bottomless pockets would distort my over 30-year history as a consumer advocate into an absurd caricature of blatant lies,” Sohn said in a statement at the time.