In a September 12, 2017 speech at the Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium at Georgetown
University, Acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen of the Federal Trade Commission addressed
the proper role of antitrust enforcement in an increasingly digital world.
Acting Chairman
Ohlhausen noted the problems with increasing reliance on regulators to control
the development of competition in digital markets:
If you want to put your faith in the hands of
the regulators, think about some of the subsidiary questions you are actually
asking the government to decide. Can these technology firms branch out into new
markets, or must they narrowly focus on their original, core competency? When a
technology company lowers prices, should that be permitted by regulators
because it helps consumers or prohibited because it makes some other business
less likely to succeed? How should a regulator weigh these effects against each
other?
She concluded:
Although the analysis in the technology sector
may be different from other industries, I believe the current framework is
sufficiently flexible to address these important issues, but we should continue
to refine our understanding on future competitive conditions.
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