The nomination of tech critic Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will move to a full Senate vote after a committee voted Wednesday, May 12, to report the nomination favorably, reported MSN.
Only four Republican members of the Senate Commerce Committee voted against the measure: Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Republican – Tennessee), Mike Lee (Republican – Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Republican – Wyoming), and Dan Sullivan (Republican – Alaska).
Blackburn and Lee in particular had previously expressed skepticism about Khan’s nomination, pointing to what they said was a lack of experience. At 32, Khan would be the youngest commissioner to serve, if confirmed.
But the committee’s top Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker (Republican – Mississippi) voiced optimism in Khan’s nomination ahead of Wednesday’s vote.
“I believe she is focused on addressing one of the most pressing issues of the day: reining in the big social media platforms,” he said. “However, I do remain concerned that a broadly over-regulatory approach as an FTC commissioner could have a negative effect on the economy and undermine free market principles.”
Khan made her name in antitrust circles after publishing “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” in the Yale Law Journal while a student in 2017. The article examined the ways that the commonly-used consumer welfare standard, often defined by looking at whether prices go up or down, could miss important anticompetitive behavior in digital markets like the one in which Amazon operates.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Judge Mehta Questions Both Sides in Landmark Google Antitrust Case
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
FCC Urges Urgent Funding for Removal of Chinese Telecom Equipment from U.S. Networks
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Former Pioneer CEO Facing Potential Criminal Charges For Colluding With OPEC
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
South Korea’s Antitrust Regulator Greenlights K-Pop Powerhouse Deal
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Exxon’s Pioneer Purchase Approved, Former CEO Barred from Board
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI