MaureenOhlhausen
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Court rules FTC data-throttling lawsuit against AT&T can proceed
AT&T has been involved in a long-running battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 2014, the agency sued AT&T for throttling its customers' unlimited mobile data plans while not properly informing them it would be doing so. A few months later, the company claimed that its common carrier status meant it wasn't under the jurisdiction of the FTC and it asked a court to dismiss the agency's suit. In 2015, a judge rejected the carrier's claim, but in 2016, a three-member Ninth Circuit appeals court tossed out that ruling and the FTC's lawsuit saying that AT&T's common carrier status did indeed exempt it from the FTC's regulatory jurisdiction. And that brings us to today. As the Wall Street Journal reports, a federal appeals court has ruled that the FTC can proceed with its lawsuit, rejecting the Ninth Circuit court's earlier decision.
Ajit Pai reportedly cancelled CES appearance due to death threats
Yesterday, CES announced that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai would no longer be appearing at the trade show where he was scheduled to take part in a conversation with FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. At the time, neither FCC nor the show organizers gave a reason for the sudden change in plans, but Recode now reports that the cancellation is due to Pai receiving death threats. Two FCC sources added that law enforcement is now involved.
FCC and FTC outline how they’ll cooperate after net neutrality vote
The FCC is scheduled to vote on its proposal to roll back net neutrality protections on December 14th and ahead of that vote, the FCC and FTC have released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding each agency's role in policing internet service providers after the proposal is passed. Once the proposal is approved, the FTC will regain some of the oversight it had prior to the 2015 reclassification of internet service, which means both the FTC and FCC will share jurisdiction over internet service providers (ISPs) going forward. "The MOU we are developing with the FCC, in addition to the decades of FTC law enforcement experience in this area, will help us carry out this important work," said FTC Chair Maureen Ohlhausen in a statement.
FTC may investigate TripAdvisor over deleted posts, but it isn't yet
Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that TripAdvisor had deleted multiple posts from users warning others about incidents of assault and rape that had taken place at a certain resorts in Mexico. Since then, the journal says that dozens of others have come forward with similar stories. Now, it reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into the website's business practices.
Trump appoints government regulation critic as FTC chairwoman
President Trump has appointed Maureen Ohlhausen as acting commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). For now, she'll be in charge of the agency that protects US consumers' safety and privacy, while guarding them from anti-competitive business practices. Ohlhausen, a Republican, has served as an FTC commissioner since 2012, and will take over from Democrat Edith Ramirez, the chairwoman since of 2013. "I will safeguard competition ... [and] work to protect all consumers from fraud, deception and unfair practices," said Ohlhausen in a statement.
