FTC Chairman Kicks Off Competition Hearings

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today kicked off the first day of public hearings designed to examine the antitrust implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws. The hearings, held jointly by the FTC and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, will examine whether and when specific types of single-firm conduct may violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act by harming competition and consumer welfare, and when they are pro-competitive or benign.

The first in the series of hearings are taking place on June 20 and June 22, 2006, in Washington, DC. At today’s hearing, FTC Chairman Majoras and Assistant Attorney General Thomas O. Barnett were joined by two of the leading antitrust and industrial organization scholars, Professor Herbert Hovenkamp and Professor Dennis Carlton. Two panels focusing on predatory pricing will follow on June 22. As previously announced, these public hearings will continue throughout the year.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.