Acting FTC Chairman Ohlhausen Welcomes New FCC Proceeding on Internet Openness

Acting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen issued the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s adoption of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reinstate a light-touch regulatory approach protecting Internet openness:

“I welcome the adoption of this NPRM as further progress toward restoring the FTC’s ability to protect broadband subscribers from unfair and deceptive practices, including violations of their privacy. Those consumer protections were an unfortunate casualty of the FCC’s 2015 decision to subject broadband to utility-style regulation. This new proceeding offers an opportunity to undo that decision and thereby return broadband consumers to the expert protection of the FTC.”

“Furthermore, I congratulate FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for adopting an open and transparent process for input. I hope that all who participate in this process will do so in a civil and thoughtful manner befitting the importance of this topic.”

The FTC is the nation’s primary consumer protection agency and one of the most active consumer privacy and data security enforcers in the world. The FTC has brought more than 150 privacy and data security-related cases against companies across the economy, including cases against many of the largest Internet companies. In pursuit of its competition mission, the FTC monitors business practices, reviews potential mergers, and challenges them when appropriate to ensure that the market works according to consumer preferences, not illegal practices.

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