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former FTC Conference Center
601 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington DC 20001

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Event Description

The Federal Trade Commission will host a Town Hall meeting on May 6-7, 2008, to explore the evolving mobile commerce (M-commerce) marketplace and its implications for consumer protection policy. This Town Hall, titled “Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace,” follows up on the FTC’s November 2006 forum, “Tech-Ade,” which examined key technological and business developments that will shape consumers’ experiences over the next decade.

The Town Hall meeting will explore consumer protection issues in the rapidly expanding world of M-commerce, which connects consumers with advertisers, marketers, and a variety of providers of services and products, including ringtones, games, chat services, mobile coupons and other customer promotions, and location-based services.

Participants will examine many topics, including: the use of mobile messaging services as instruments of M-commerce; consumers’ ability to control mobile applications; the challenges presented by small screen disclosures; M-commerce practices targeting children and teens; industry best practices in preventing fraud; evolving security threats and solutions; and next-generation products and services.

The Commission invites interested parties to submit requests to be panelists and to recommend other related topics for discussion. The requests should be submitted electronically to beyondvoice@ftc.gov by February 27, 2008, and should include information about the parties’ expertise on the issues they propose to address, and complete contact information. The Commission will select panelists based on expertise and the need to represent a range of views about the issues. Panelists selected to participate will be notified by March 26, 2008. For questions, contact Ruth Yodaiken at 202-326-2127.

Any person also may submit written comments on the topics to be addressed at the Town Hall by June 6, 2008, (extended deadline) in the manner specified below.

The Town Hall, which will be free and open to the public, will be held at the FTC’s satellite building conference center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. A government-issued photo ID is required for entry. Pre-registration is not required. Members of the public and press who wish to participate but who cannot attend can view a live Webcast of the Town Hall on the FTC’s Web site.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to cmcglothlin@ftc.gov or by calling Carrie McGlothlin at (202) 326-3388. Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed and a way to contact you if we need more information. Please provide advance notice.

  • Request for Comments

    FILING A COMMENT — Deadline: EXTENDED until Monday, JUNE 6, 2008

    Any person also may submit written comments on the topics to be addressed at the Town Hall. Comments should refer to “Beyond Voice – Comment, Project No. P074403” to facilitate the organization of comments.

    To File Electronically:

    Follow the instructions and fill out the form at https://secure.commentworks.com/ftc-BeyondVoice

    To File in Paper Form:

    A comment filed in paper form should include the reference to “Beyond Voice – Comment, Project No. P074403” in both the text and on the envelope, and should be mailed or delivered to the following address:

    Federal Trade Commission/Office of the Secretary
    600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
    Room H-135 (Annex A)
    Washington, DC 20580

    The FTC is requesting that any comment filed in paper form be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because postal mail to the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.

    To Request Confidential Treatment:

    To request confidential treatment, you must file in paper form and clearly label the first page of the document with “Confidential” and comply with Commission Rule 4.9(c). 15 C.F.R. § 4.9(c).

    Comments must be received by COB Monday, June 6, 2008, (extended deadline).

FTC Privacy Policy

Under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) or other laws, we may be required to disclose to outside organizations the information you provide when you pre-register for events that require registration. The Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments, whether filed in paper or electronic form, and as a matter of discretion, we make every effort to remove home contact information for individuals from the public comments before posting them on the FTC website.

The FTC Act and other laws we administer permit the collection of your pre-registration contact information and the comments you file to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, see the Commission’s Privacy Act system for public records and comprehensive privacy policy.

This event will be open to the public and may be photographed, videotaped, webcast, or otherwise recorded.  By participating in this event, you are agreeing that your image — and anything you say or submit — may be posted indefinitely at ftc.gov or on one of the Commission's publicly available social media sites.