On March 25 and 26, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission's "Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century” focused on how competition and consumer protection enforcement has become a global effort, leading to more cooperation between enforcement agencies in different countries. As with other hearings in this series, the focus was on information gathering rather than agency pronouncements.

We discuss some of the recurring themes, innovative concepts, and other key takeaways of the panels centered around competition and consumer protection enforcement.

Former FTC Commissioner William E. Kovacic (George Washington University Law School) set the stage by noting technological change and innovation in transportation, communications and the like is not a new concept, citing the development of the automobile, the telephone, the radio, and motion pictures early in the 20th century. He touched on how agencies have changed and grown around the world since 1995, including significant growth in the FTC’s staffing for international cooperation, the number of cross-border alliances, and cross-border cooperation in enforcement actions and policy development, as well as ideas for future changes in enforcement tools, procedure, and approach. Click here* to read the full article.

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