Celebrating the Solstice - FTC-style
By: John Seesel, Office of the General Counsel, and Derek Moore, Office of Policy Planning | Jun 20, 2016 12:35PM
Looking for ways to celebrate the summer solstice? Tune in to the FTC's workshop on competition and consumer protection issues in solar energy. Tomorrow, on June 21, scientists, academics, regulators, and other industry experts will come together for a series of presentations and roundtables to discuss:
Shining a light on solar power
By: John Seesel, Office of the General Counsel, and Derek Moore, Office of Policy Planning | May 3, 2016 4:27PM
Look up and you just might see one: solar panels are on top of more homes and businesses than ever before. Around the country, rooftop solar is an increasingly important source of electricity. For many customers with solar panels, solar power provides most of their electricity; many even sell power back to the power company.
Competition sparks improvements in local electricity markets
By: John Seesel, Office of the General Counsel, and Jim Mongoven, Bureau of Competition | Dec 1, 2015 12:59PM
The New York State Public Service Commission is on a path to move away from traditional cost-of-service regulation for electric utilities. This is good news for New York consumers who might be looking to lower their electric bill or reduce their reliance on the power grid. In fact, the policy move is motivated by advances in energy technology, increased concerns about the environmental impact of fossil-fuel generation, and consumers’ interest in having more direct control over their electric service.
Continue Reading Competition sparks improvements in local electricity markets
Change may be coming to a plug near you
By: John Seesel, Office of the General Counsel, and Jim Mongoven, Bureau of Competition | Sep 16, 2015 2:30PM
It’s easy to be blasé about electric power: Flip a switch and the lights come on. Plug in your phone and it recharges. Maybe you have a vague sense that behind the plug is a vast infrastructure of lines and junction boxes, all leading back to far-away power plants that generate electricity. But new technologies and growing interest in ‘green’ energy sources are prompting policymakers to rethink public utility regulation – and suddenly, what happens behind that plug could get a whole lot more interesting.
FTC Milestones: Cold War chills report on International Petroleum Cartel
By: Kelly Signs, Bureau of Competition | Dec 17, 2014 11:34AM
The FTC’s status as an independent agency, secured in an early constitutional challenge to the FTC Act, was tested during the early years of the Cold War when the agency’s international work provoked a national security debate at the highest levels.
Continue Reading FTC Milestones: Cold War chills report on International Petroleum Cartel
By: John Seesel, Office of the General Counsel, & Douglas Hilleboe, Office of Policy Planning | Jan 17, 2014 12:17PM
This will come as no shock to anyone familiar with the Federal Trade Commission’s policy and advocacy function: FTC staff has a long history of advocating for effective competition and consumer protection in electricity markets.
