Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century

The Federal Trade Commission will begin its Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century with two full-day sessions, co-sponsored with and held at the Georgetown University Law Center, on September 13 and 14, 2018.

The Georgetown event will be the first in a series of hearings that will examine whether broad-based changes in the economy, evolving business practices, new technologies, or international developments might require adjustments to competition and consumer protection enforcement priorities of the Commission. These public events, in conjunction with the public comment process, will provide the FTC with a broad and diverse range of viewpoints and stimulate evaluation of key enforcement and policy issues.

FTC Chairman Joe Simons will present opening remarks, followed by two days of discussion by a distinguished set of panelists who will discuss the following topics:

• the current landscape of competition and consumer protection law and policy;
• whether the U.S. economy has become more concentrated and less competitive;
• the regulation of consumer data;
• antitrust law and the consumer welfare standard; and,
• the analysis of vertical mergers.

See agenda