Mirroring the intensity of activity this year on Capitol Hill, the new Obama Administration has fostered a much higher level of activity and interest from federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.
During the course of this year and its economic turmoil, there has been growing interest in Washington about the future of the news and media industry. Legislators in both the House and Senate have held hearings on the topic, and now the FTC will be getting involved as well. On December 1st and 2nd, the FTC will hold a two day workshop titled “From Town Criers to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?” During the workshop, the FTC will hear from journalists, as well as the legal, academic, consumer and business communities about how the Internet has impacted journalism, and what changes could be made to protect the industry going forward. In advance of the December workshop, the Commission is seeking comments on a series of questions looking at the changes driven by technology, such as, how the internet is changing advertising expenditures, consumer access, and news production. They are also interested in the economic challenges of news organizations, and changes to government policies that could help promote journalism. MPA will actively participate in the FTC’s examination of news media. We will file comments with the FTC by November 6th, MPA CEO Nina Link will participate in a panel at the workshop, and MPA will provide supplementary comments following the workshop on the topics addressed.
Shortly after the journalism workshop, on December 7th, the FTC will host the first of three day-long public roundtable discussions on the impact of new technologies and business practices that collect and use consumer data on privacy. The FTC’s goal is “how to best protect consumer privacy while supporting beneficial uses of the information and technological innovation.” Privacy, especially online, has been a longstanding concern for the FTC, and the new chief of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, David Vladek, is continuing this focus.
