Commission Seeks Public Comments on Proposed Information Requests to Beverage Alcohol Advertisers

Publication of Federal Register notice: The Commission has authorized the filing of a Federal Register notice requesting public comments on the FTC’s proposed information requests to beverage alcohol advertisers. As detailed in the notice, which was published in the Federal Register on October 24, 2006 and can be found as a link to this press release, the Commission proposes to issue compulsory process orders to corporate entities responsible for the majority of alcohol advertising in the United States, including their affiliated and subsidiary companies, seeking information concerning, among other things, compliance with voluntary advertising placement provisions, sales and marketing expenditures, and the status of third-party review of complaints regarding compliance with voluntary advertising codes. Because the number of separately incorporated companies affected by the Commission’s proposed requests will exceed ten entities, the Commission is required to seek clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act before issuing the requests.

Comments on the FTC’s proposal must be received by the agency on or before November 24, 2006, and should be sent via regular mail or, preferably, in electronic form to the addresses listed in the notice. Comments should also be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget, using the OMB contact information provided in the Federal Register Notice. (FTC File No. P064505; the staff contact is Janet Evans, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-2125.).

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.