FTC Prepares to Wade in to Digital-Age Competition

The week of Sept 10, the Federal Trade Commission launches a months-long series of hearings on antitrust and competition policy that could change how the government treats some tech companies in the digital age. It will be the latest spotlight on the hot-button issue of the disparate regulatory treatment of social media sites and Internet service providers. Edge providers argue they don't need new innovation-suppressing regulations, but that ISPs, who they argue lack effective competition, need more oversight now that the Federal Communications Commission has deeded authority over ISP net neutrality to the FTC. ISPs say that if they are to continue to be subject to a broadband regulatory regime, the FTC should "harmonize" its enforcement by applying regs to the edge providers who they say are large, dominant players (Google, Facebook) currently excluded from the regulatory picture. The first hearing will be Sept. 13-14 at The Georgetown University Law Center and is scheduled to deal with 1) "the current landscape of competition and consumer protection law and policy; 2) whether the U.S. economy has become more concentrated and less competitive; 3) the regulation of consumer data; 4) antitrust law and the consumer welfare standard; and 5) the analysis of vertical mergers."