Ohlhausen Exits FTC

Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen has exited the Federal Trade Commission. Her term expired Sept. 25.

Ohlhausen was nominated for a judgeship, but has yet to be confirmed.

She was named interim chairman by President Donald Trump back in April. The President tapped Joseph Simons as the new chair earlier this year. He was sworn in in May, with Ohlhausen remaining as a commissioner.

Christine Wilson, who has been confirmed by the Senate, replaces Ohlhausen.

Also on the commission are Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Noah Joshua Phillips, Rohit Chopra.

“It has been a great privilege to serve the American people through the different leadership positions I’ve held in this wonderful agency, including my time as acting chairman,” Ohlhausen said in a parting statement. “I want to thank my fellow Commissioners and the FTC’s talented, hard-working staff, who take on the toughest challenges in protecting consumers, standing up for competition, and understanding the complex issues facing our economy.”

The FTC will be under increased scrutiny now that it will be principally responsible for overseeing network neutrality following the FCC's reclassification of ISPs as information services not subject to Title II common carrier regs. Common Carriers are exempt from FTC oversight.  

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.