The incoming Federal Communications Commission Chairman and new Commissioner, along with the existing members, will need to take action on a host of major issues. The Commission will have to make decisions about net neutrality regardless of how the court rules, navigate competing interests in the upcoming spectrum auctions, and determine how to address competition, to name a few.
Antitrust and Competition
Economic analysis of markets is a core part of what we do. Our research has focused on mergers, vertical integration, and global competition policy. Our experts have deep experience in competition policy.
Research Papers
Articulating A Modern Approach to FCC Competition Policy
The FCC has taken three different competition policy approaches: the classic role of regulating terms and conditions of sale, the modern role of using various tools to create largely deregulated, multi-firm, competitive markets, and the laissez-faire approach of believing that unregulated markets, even if monopolized, will produce the best outcome. For the most part, a light-handed modern role has proven successful. The FCC should adopt such an approach going forward with a classic regulatory role as a backstop, and it should articulate clearly its competition policy framework so that firms can understand the rules and compete to provide service to customers in a procompetitive manner.
Press Releases
FTC did the right thing on Google
After investigating Google’s search practices for almost two years, the Federal Trade Commission and its staff undoubtedly wanted more than the few voluntary modifications to which Google has agreed. But the Commission demonstrated its professionalism by concluding that the evidence did not support bringing an antitrust case and that no additional remedy was likely to benefit consumers.
Press Releases
OpEd: Google Suit Fails To Expose Monopolistic Practices
Antitrust officials in the U.S. and Europe act as if they’ve found their next Microsoft and seem ready to party like it’s 1999. At a Senate hearing last year, former antitrust division chief Thomas Barnett, representing Google’s competitors, accused Google of “using its extraordinary power to manipulate users and foreclose the ability of other sites to compete.” Yelp cofounder Jeremy Stoppelman wondered “whether new ideas can compete fairly” against Google. (Apparently they can; several weeks ago, Yelp had a very successful IPO). Both the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee support the current Federal Trade Commission investigation.