President Joe Biden has nominated Lina Khan to be a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission.
Khan is a veteran critic of concentration and anticompetitive market power and the lead counsel on a House Antitrust investigation into Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple that concluded that those companies had captured control of key distribution channels and function as internet gatekeepers, including by buying up potential competitors.
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The confirmation would bring the FTC up to full strength of five commissioner. Like the FCC, the FTC is currently at a political tie, 2-2, so Khan will give it the Democratic majority to do things Republicans will likely oppose.
Khan is an associate professor at Columbia Law School, where she has focused on antitrust and infrastructure industry law.
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Her resume includes counsel to the House Antitrust Subcommittee, including investigating digital markets, and legal advisor to FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra, as well as legal director at the Open Markets Institute, whose goal is to combat "corporate concentration and monopoly power."
“I congratulate Ms. Khan on her nomination and commend President Biden for his selection of a strong pro-consumer advocate to join the FTC," said House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.). "Ms. Khan will bring a wealth of knowledge to the Commission, and I trust that she will be an excellent Commissioner. I wish her a speedy confirmation and look forward to working together to protect consumers and market competition.”
The majority of Republicans and Republican leaners (62%) got some political news from Fox, according to a new Pew Research poll. That was compared to 21% who said they got political news from Newsmax TV and One America News (OAN) Network (14%).
“We need all hands on deck as we work to take on some of the biggest monopolies in the world, and President Biden is making his commitment to competition policy clear," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), chair of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, who has been pushing for stronger antitrust laws that capture Big Tech's strategy of buying up the nascent competition. "Lina’s experience working both in Congress and at the Federal Trade Commission and as an advocate for competitive markets will be vital as we advance efforts to strengthen enforcement and protect consumers.”
“USTelecom and our members congratulate Professor Khan on her nomination to the Federal Trade Commission," said USTelecom President Jonathan Spalter. "The FTC plays a critical role in today’s dynamic digital economy, and we’re looking forward to working with her to advance two key priorities. First, achieving a national privacy framework that respects and protects consumers across the entire internet ecosystem. Second, bolstering our ongoing partnership to crack down on the robocall scammers and criminals polluting our shared communications networks.”
