Washington — This month, the FTC resumes another round of hearings. The hearing Tuesday will focus on privacy and big data and then algorithms and AI will be discussed the following week. The Computer & Communications Industry Association appreciates that the FTC will be considering privacy, big data, and competition and looks forward to the Commission scheduling a session on its newfound authority over broadband, as the FCC abdicated jurisdiction over broadband last year.
CCIA has advocated for policies that promote competition in the tech industry for more than 45 years and welcomes the hearings. CCIA Director of Competition Marianela López-Galdos will be testifying at the hearing Tuesday. She plans to tell regulators that data is not essential, but good ideas for products and services are crucial. Companies are under enormous pressure to keep innovating and improving those products and services — and data can help with that.
CCIA offered the FTC comments on the state of antitrust and consumer protection law and enforcement.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Director of Competition Marianela López-Galdos:
“We appreciate the FTC holding these hearings and convening a wide range of stakeholders including engineers and tech experts, who can help everyone better understand data and how it can be used. As we listen to these experts, we hope that some companies’ demands for the FTC to act politically in data-driven markets erodes. US antitrust law has always focused on harm to consumers not competitors to foster innovation. In data driven industries, the incentives to promote innovation should be preserved.”