FTC Announces Tentative Agenda for October 20 Open Commission Meeting

Today, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan announced that an open meeting of the Commission will be held virtually on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The open meeting will commence at 1pm ET and will begin with time for members of the public to address the Commission.

The following items will be on the tentative agenda for the October 20th Commission meeting:

Business Before the Commission:

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Junk Fees: The Commission will vote on whether to issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to initiate a rulemaking proceeding addressing junk fees that are charged for goods or services that have little or no added value to the consumer. The ANPR seeks comment on the prevalence of junk fees and the consumer harms arising from junk fee practices, among other questions.

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Fake Reviews and Endorsements: The Commission will vote on whether to issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to initiate a rulemaking proceeding addressing fake reviews and other endorsements, which can cheat consumers and honest businesses alike. The ANPR seeks comment on the prevalence of fake and deceptive reviews and the consumer harms arising from them, among other questions.

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Funeral Rule and Staff Report “Shopping for Funeral Services Online”: The Commission will vote on whether to retain the Funeral Industry Practices Rule and issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on potential updates to modernize the rule, including improvements to the public accessibility of funeral home price information. The Commission will also vote on issuing a staff report that summarizes the results of their review of almost 200 funeral provider websites.

At the start of the meeting, Chair Khan will offer brief remarks and will then invite members of the public to share feedback on the Commission’s work generally and bring relevant matters to the Commission’s attention. Members of the public must sign up for an opportunity to address the Commission virtually at the October 20 event.

Each commenter will be given two minutes to share their comments. Those who cannot participate during the event may submit written comments or a link to a prerecorded video through a webform. Speaker registration and comment submission will be available through October 18 at 8 pm ET.

The FTC’s public meeting agendas will be posted on the Commission’s website at least seven days prior to the Commission’s next monthly meeting. A link to the event will be available on October 20, shortly before the meeting starts via FTC.gov. The event will be recorded, and the webcast and any related comments will be available on the Commission’s website after the meeting. The Commission retains discretion to make public comments available following the event on ftc.gov.