FTC Announces Tentative Agenda for November 18 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, November 18, 2021. The open meeting will begin at 1pm ET and will be preceded by a time for members of the public to address the Commission.

The following items will be on the tentative agenda for the November 18 Commission meeting:

Business Before the Commission

Presentation on Criminal Referrals and Partnerships and Motion to Issue Commission Statement: Staff will report on the status of criminal referrals by the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection that have resulted in criminal enforcement action by federal and state legal authorities. The Commission will vote on whether to issue a statement outlining the agency’s commitment to continuing to refer potential criminal violations and opportunities for strengthening this work.

6(b) Study on Supply Chain Disruptions: The Commission will vote on whether to issue Orders to large retailers and consumer goods suppliers to study the impact on competition of ongoing supply chain disruptions and gather information from other suppliers and retailers on this issue. The study will focus on why these disruptions occur, whether they are leading to specific bottlenecks, shortages, anticompetitive practices, or contributing to rising consumer prices.

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 November 18 event. Each commenter will be allowed to speak for no more than two minutes. Anyone 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 Monday, November 15, 2021, 8pm 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 November 18, 2021 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. Due to challenges related to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis, open meetings will be held virtually until further notice.