Golden State Today

In Berkeley Talks episode 200, Gigi Sohn, a prominent public advocate for equal access to the internet, delivered the keynote address at the UC Berkeley School of Information’s 2024 commencement ceremony.

“I’d like to share with you some of the twists and turns of my professional journey as a public advocate in the world of communications and technology policy,” Sohn began at the May 18 event. “I’m hoping that by sharing my story, you’ll be inspired to keep choosing the path that you know is right for you and for society, even if it sometimes comes at a cost.”

Sohn recounted her career's beginnings in the late 1980s when she entered communications law. Through this work, she recognized media's crucial role in sustaining a healthy democracy. “Those with access to the [communications] networks influenced the debates that shaped public policy and decided elections,” Sohn said. “Those without were simply perilous. The internet promised to change all of that... The world that advocates like me envisioned was one where everyone would have a voice and where the marketplace of ideas, and ultimately democracy, would flourish.

“But that ideal wouldn’t happen by itself.”

In her speech, Sohn detailed her lifelong career as a public interest advocate, her challenging White House nominations to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, and emphasized the importance of staying true to herself.

A video of her speech is available on the School of Information’s website.