The Future of the Federal Trade Commission

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began a series of hearings to explore whether competition and consumer protection laws are keeping up with the 21st century. A similar series of hearings in 1995 helped chart the agency’s course for the next two decades, and many are wondering if the current hearings will serve a similar purpose. This is a pivotal time for the FTC, as the 104-year-old agency faces many questions about what role it should play in the growing scrutiny of technology companies and how it can best protect consumers from technological harms. Please join us for lunch and a panel discussion to catch up on what's happened so far, what's on deck for the next hearings, and what the future holds for consumer protection.

Lunch will be served.

Introduction:

Sarah Morris, @sarmorris
Director of Open Internet Policy, New America's Open Technology Institute

Panel Participants:

Michael Kades, @Michael_Kades
Director of Markets and Competition Policy, Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Hal Singer, @HalSinger
Managing Director, Econ One Research and Senior Fellow at George Washington Institute for Public Policy

Charlotte Slaiman, @CharlottesWWWeb
Policy Counsel for Competition, Public Knowledge

Brandi Collins-Dexter, @BrandingBrandi
Senior Campaign Director, Color of Change

Moderator:

Brian Fung, @b_fung
Technology Reporter, The Washington Post

Follow the conversation online using #FTCFuture and following @OTI.