There's a new sheriff – er, chairwoman – in town
over at the FTC, and she's planning to shake things up. During
the Commission's first open meeting in more than 20 years,
Chairwoman Khan announced a new era of streamlined, widespread
rulemaking, and increased public participation, transparency, and
fairness. However, as every single vote broke along party lines,
with the Democratic majority steamrolling Republican requests for
increased dialogue, public comment periods, and expert input, the
open meetings may be little more than political theater intended to
cover a massive change in how the FTC operates. In fact, public
comments were relegated to the end of the meeting, after votes were
already cast, and the commissioners were given only five days, the
bare minimum time, to consider the new rules and regulations. In
the words of Commissioner Phillips, the Democratic majority wants
to make regulating "easier, not better." And after
yesterday's votes, it seems likely
