The following statement is in response to news reports that President Obama is naming Jon Leibowitz to the post of FTC chairman. It can be attributed to Ed Black, the President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
“CCIA welcomes the President’s decision to put Commissioner Leibowitz at the helm of the Federal Trade Commission. His experience on Capitol Hill and his current role as an FTC Commissioner make him a great choice to fill this incredibly important position. He has consistently been an advocate for American consumers, even on the rare occasion when the FTC itself wandered off course. His knowledge of high-tech and Internet issues is also a huge plus.
“This appointment is even more critical given significant concerns, especially in the technology sector, involving competition policy and consumer protection. The FTC’s recent decision to investigate Intel’s anticompetitive practices was a step in the right direction for the agency. Under Leibowitz’s lead, we expect this investigation to proceed fairly and hope that the new chairman uses his position to investigate similar anticompetitive abuses by other companies, such as IBM’s practices in the mainframe market. Furthermore, we hope to see the FTC continue its leadership on other policy areas especially important to the high-tech industry, including standard-setting and digital rights management abuse.
“The FTC is positioned at the forefront for dealing with an increasing number of important issues. Although the job of FTC Chairman will not be easy, we are confident that Commissioner Leibowitz’s tenure will be a successful one.”