Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association has filed comments with the Federal Trade Commission in response to its request for public comment on a proposed enforcement policy statement concerning personalized pricing. The association urged the FTC to clarify the practices covered by the statement and assess potentially deceptive or unfair conduct under established, case-specific legal standards.
CCIA recommended that the FTC distinguish personalized price increases from beneficial discounts, coupons, loyalty rewards, and membership benefits. The comments also ask the FTC to clarify that any disclosure responsibility should rest with the entity that determines the challenged price. Platforms and service providers should not be required to monitor sellers’ pricing practices merely because they supply the tools or infrastructure used.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Vice President of Global Competition and Regulatory Policy Krisztian Katona:
“The FTC should ensure that its proposed policy statement does not inadvertently discourage discounts and loyalty programs that benefit consumers. Any expectation to disclose personalized pricing should remain grounded in the FTC’s established deception and unfairness standards and supported by evidence specific to the practice at issue, rather than an assumption that price variation alone is harmful.”
