Schakowsky statement on 9th Circuit Court decision on FTC authority over AT&T
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and Ranking Member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection subcommittee, released the following statement in response to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in FTC v. AT&T Mobility LLC, which rejected AT&T’s attempt to avoid consumer protections:
“I am relieved that the 9th Circuit rejected AT&T’s ridiculous attempt to avoid the consumer protection efforts of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Under AT&T’s logic, having any part of a corporation be a common carrier would exempt the entire corporation from FTC jurisdiction. That means the FTC would have no authority to block unfair behavior, and consumers would pay the price. However, today’s decision only partially fills the gap. It does not fix the Federal Communication Commission’s failure to protect broadband privacy or its action to undermine net neutrality.”