ANA to Trump: Fill FTC Vacancies

The Association of National Advertisers is calling on the Trump Administration to fill the three vacant Federal Trade Commission seats so it will be "fully operational."

Currently, the commission is down to two commissioners, acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, Republican, and Democrat Terrell McSweeny, so any decision needs to be bipartisan or it can't be made.

The potential for 1-1 deadlocks could leave the agency "essentially paralyzed and unable to act in a number of areas of high importance to consumers and advertising interests."

Related: FTC Launches Process Reforms

ANA points out that it is particularly important given that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai plans to roll back Title II reclassification of ISPs, which will return broadband privacy oversight to the FTC.

"As the FCC and FTC work to iron out the details of their roles in oversight of privacy, it is critical that the FTC have a full house in order to ensure the process can move forward rapidly and effectively," ANA said. "Now is the time to put the FTC in the best position to further a strong and appropriate privacy regulatory agenda and to carry out its many other key functions."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.