If you don't pay attention to the Federal Trade Commission, you're missing out.

The agency does a lot of very interesting work that touches on many different parts of the economy.

But there's a push at the moment to make the FTC's work a little too interesting.

As its name suggests, the FTC is at its heart an enforcer of trade rules.

Yet there's a movement of foot to turn the agency into something closer to a market central

planner.

Look no further than a memo circulated around the FTC last September,

in which Chair Lena Khan set forth her vision and priorities for the agency.

The memo discusses economic, quote, macro effects and, quote, root causes, and it takes for granted that the agency, quote,

shapes the distribution of power and opportunity across our economy.

Last summer and fall in the first few months of Kahn's tenure as chair, the FTC engaged in a

flurry of activity. Most notably, perhaps, was the agency's repeal of a bipartisan 2015 policy statement that had made the promotion of consumer welfare, the principal guide of the agency's antitrust policy.

Then, beginning last October, the agency became relatively quiet, as for months it lacked a

fifth commissioner. Just a couple of weeks ago, however, that changed with the confirmation of

Alvaro Badoia. With the FTC now restored to a three-two Democratic majority, we can expect a lot of

activity at the agency in the months to come.

This is the Tech Policy podcast. I'm Corbyn Barthold. What a perfect time it is to have today's guest on the show.

I'm so very honored to be speaking with FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips.

We live in a contentious era.

Commissioner Bedoya, for instance, was just confirmed on a 5150 vote with a vice presidential tiebreak.

So it is worth noting that in 2018, the Senate confirmed Commissioner Phillips to a seat on the FTC by unanimous acclamation.

That was well deserved, and I say so, even though the commissioner, ever modest, was downplaying the achievement before the show.

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