Today, Public Knowledge submitted comments in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s call for input on a wide range of issues:
- Competition and consumer protection issues in communication, information, and media technology networks;
- The identification and measurement of market power and entry barriers, and the evaluation of collusive, exclusionary, or predatory conduct or conduct that violates the consumer protection statutes enforced by the FTC, in markets featuring “platform” businesses;
- The intersection between privacy, big data, and competition;
- The Commission’s remedial authority to deter unfair and deceptive conduct in privacy and data security matters;
- Evidence and analysis of monopsony power, including but not limited to, in labor markets;
- The role of intellectual property and competition policy in promoting innovation;
- The consumer welfare implications associated with the use of algorithmic decision tools, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics; and
- The agency’s investigation, enforcement and remedial processes.
The following can be attributed to John Bergmayer, Senior Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“As one of the leading agencies focused on competition and consumer protection, it is good to see the FTC taking its mandate seriously, engaging the public, and seeking to apply its expertise to cutting-edge areas such as algorithmic decision-making and online platforms.
“Today’s digital marketplace requires stronger antitrust enforcement, aggressive use of regulatory power and new laws to fill in important policy gaps. The explosion of the digital market calls first for understanding precisely what may be going wrong and therefore deserves fixing. This requires identifying what are the best policy tools available to fix what problems may be identified; evaluating how best to apply existing policy tools; and then proposing new policy tools to address problems that fall between the gaps under existing law.
“As Public Knowledge continues its work on issues such as broadband and platform regulation, competition, and the consumer protection implications of new technologies, we will continue to look to the FTC to be at the forefront of consumer protection.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.