Competition Policy Gets A Top Spot In The White House

Following weeks of speculation about a potential role for Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu in the Biden Administration, the White House announced on March 5 that Wu has been named Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy. As an official housed in the National Economic Council ("NEC"), Wu will not directly command staff within federal agencies or set the agencies' enforcement or regulatory agendas. Instead, Wu will most likely focus on coordinating federal agencies' efforts to identify and address competition issues. Given his history, Wu could seek to have particular influence on the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") and Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") as they shape their Biden Administration agendas.