Background
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Rohit Chopra may have already been sworn in as the two new FTC commissioners, however, the US Senate is set to confirm another nominee, Simona Magnolia Bedoya, as the third FTC commissioner.
Before delving into the confirmation process, let’s closely examine her background.
Education and Professional Experience
President Trump nominated Christine S. Wilson Bedoya to serve as Federal Trade Commissioner, a five-year term set to be voted on by the United States Senate. She serves as Vice Chair of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, responsible for preventing anticompetitive business practices such as price-fixing and monopolization.
Ms. Bedoya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with highest honors from Duke University, a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree with high honors from Georgetown Law School and an LL.M degree in taxation from Cardozo Law School Yeshiva University. She began her career as a law clerk for Chief Judges of the U.S Tax Court and the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York, respectively. Subsequently, she was an associate with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and worked in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division before joining FTC’s Bureau of Competition in 2013.
Previous Appointments
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, appointed to the position in 2019, is set to be replaced by U.S. magistrate judge Christine A. Bedoya. Bedoya has impressive prior experience that makes her qualified for the FTC Commissioner role.
Bedoya was previously a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent agency within the executive branch tasked with monitoring U.S. counterterrorism efforts and protecting civil liberties and individual privacy rights. Before that she served as associate director of antitrust enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission between 2010-2014 and was then appointed chief counsel of anticompetitive practices at the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division from 2014-2016.
In addition to these vast experiences, she was a litigation partner at Osborn Maledon in Arizona from 2016-2019 and provided pro bono services at the Los Angeles Office of General Counsel from 2009-2013. Her current appointment as FTC Commissioner is one more impressive accomplishment for Bedoya’s resume as she is set to be confirmed by a U.S Senate vote on July 29th, 2020.
Bedoya’s Nomination to the FTC
The United States Senate is set to confirm Lina A. Bedoya as the Federal Trade Commission’s Commissioner.
Bedoya has years of experience in the legal, antitrust, and privacy fields, among many other areas of expertise. In this article, we will look at her qualifications, her expected impact on the FTC, and what her nomination means for the future of the FTC.
Reasons for the Nomination
The U.S. Senate is set to confirm Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Lina Khan, and Rohit Chopra in some of the most coveted positions of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). These confirmations include the appointment of Chopra as Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection and Caleb “Cal” Bedoya for a Republican seat on the powerful five-member FTC.
Bedoya’s nomination to the FTC was driven by his extensive experience in digital markets and antitrust law. In addition, he has experience supporting policy initiatives related to technology and economics, privatizing public trust functions, protecting consumers from anti-competitive practices, and improving economic policies governing tech companies.
Bedoya also brings expertise in competition law to his new role as one of two Republican commissioners on the FTC board, having served as Chief Counsel for Competition Policy under former Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen between 2017 and 2019 at the FTC Bureau of Competition – giving him a unique insight into all aspects that govern antitrust enforcer agency behavior at both a leadership and regulatory level. In addition, Bedoya has public interest experience in domestic and international financial services, focusing on consumer protection matters such as credit markets structure & pricing inquiries and interchange fee reform in multiple international jurisdictions across Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Bedoya’s Views on Consumer Protection
If confirmed, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Christine S. Wilson, Bedoya would become the third Democratic commissioner on the five-person Federal Trade Commission, filling out the majority.
Bedoya has publicly expressed her commitment to protecting consumers within her position as a Commissioner at the FTC–reexamining antitrust laws and taking action when companies intentionally mislead or take advantage of consumers. She has argued for more aggressive enforcement of laws that protect economic security and well-being. She has said she believes in the “importance of healthy competition” to ensure markets work for everyone involved, not just corporate executives and shareholders. In addition, she is committed to addressing rising consumer debt and promoting financial literacy while reducing predatory practices that target vulnerable populations such as seniors and low-income families.
Furthermore, Bedoya is particularly focused on amending government data privacy rules—ensuring Americans have full control over their data by updating existing laws concerning information transparency when collected by corporations or sold to third parties. This includes protecting individuals’ rights against businesses seeking to use personal information unfairly or limit access to services based on any singular predictive filter such as race, gender or ethnicity.
Bedoya envisions reexamining current policies by holding companies accountable for advertising truthfully, eliminating monopolies from forming thus broadening markets for competition, capturing growing technology needs such as AI/Machine Learning inputs and outputs used in predictive analytics to protect customers from certain risks associated with these powerful tools used by corporations today.
Bedoya’s Confirmation Hearing
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate will hold a confirmation hearing for the appointment of Rohit Chopra as the Federal Trade Commission’s new Commissioner.
Rohit Chopra is replacing the current FTC Chairman Joe Simons who is set to step down at the end of the year.
Let’s explore the details of Rohit Chopra’s confirmation hearing and his qualifications for this position.
Questions Asked by Senators
At the confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate, Senators asked various questions of Rebecca Bedoya, President Joe Biden’s nominee for federal trade commissioner (FTC). The questions focused on issues related to her career, qualifications, and her views on the FTC’s role in policing antitrust violations.
Senators asked Bedoya about her experience leading the FTC’s technology department and overseeing complex issues involving Big Tech businesses. They also asked about her views on how to properly police antitrust violations in a way that protects consumer interests and allows firms to remain competitive in a dynamic market. Additionally, Bedoya discussed her approach to consumer protection enforcement, including potential new measures for responding to privacy breaches and consumer fraud.
Throughout this process, Bedoya was commended by Senators for her professional qualifications and experience in antitrust law and modern technology research. If confirmed by the Senate, she would become the first Hispanic member appointed as a federal trade commissioner since 2005.
Bedoya’s Responses to the Questions
During Miguel Cardona’s confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate on Thursday, Republican and Democratic Senators asked tough questions about his record as a state education leader, his involvement in the Trump administration’s antitrust investigation of technology companies and his vision for the Federal Trade Commission.
The Senate panel focused heavily on Bedoya’s views on antitrust enforcement and consumer protection, both major areas of enforcement activity for the FTC. Bedoya outlined his commitment to both areas but indicated that he would be open to listening to various industry perspectives to find sound solutions. He also spoke about his experience as a civil rights lawyer before joining the FTC, where there can be difficult tensions between consumer protection and antitrust considerations.
Bedoya highlighted that he has extensive knowledge of consumer protection law from an enforcement perspective – something other commissioner nominees may not have – that gives him additional insight when considering cases with potential consumer harm issues. He highlighted additional ways in which he would be able to bring diversity of experiences and perspectives when making policy decisions on behalf of the FTC.
Furthermore, Bedoya discussed what he learned while leading antitrust investigations while serving as an adviser role with the Trump Administration. He stressed how many antitrust laws helped small businesses so they can compete with large companies by noting how price fixing hurts everyone – especially consumers. He asserted that offering robust enforcement actions would help promote market competition – a goal overall beneficial for everyone, including consumers. However, he also said that there needs to be “common sense” used when enforcing such laws and assessing companies for violations; all available information needs to be considered before any decision is made related to policy regulations or penalties assessed against firms alleged of wrongdoing.
Reaction to Bedoya’s Nomination
The nomination of Rohit Chopra for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner and Rebecca Slaughter for chair of the FTC has been met with widespread approval. In addition, the U.S. Senate is set to confirm the nomination of Democrat Lina A. Bedoya for FTC commissioner, making her the first Latina to fill the role. Bedoya’s selection has been met with positive reactions from many, including civil rights and labor groups, who view her as an consumer advocate.
Let’s look at some of the reactions to Bedoya’s nomination.
Support from Consumer Advocacy Groups
The nomination of Rebecca Slaughter and Rohit Chopra to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Buzunesh Bedoya’s nomination to become Commissioner of Consumer Product Safety have sparked support from consumer advocacy groups. Bedoya’s background uniquely qualifies her to lead this important commission, with experience in consumer product safety from legislative and academic perspectives.
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) issued a statement applauding all three nominations, highlighting that “they will… lend a critical voice on behalf of consumers at FTC and CPSC.” In addition, the CFA is encouraged by the appointment of all three because they represent “…diverse backgrounds, expertise, and an appropriate commitment to enhancing consumer welfare.”
Bedoya’s sterling academic credentials include MIT Sloan School of Management and Georgetown University Law Center degrees. She currently serves as the Deputy Director for Policy at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) where she has developed insightful recommendations on consumer financial services. Before joining the CFPB, she held positions as Counselor to U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) Chairman at Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs; Senior Advocate at National Employment Law Project; Legislative Fellow in Office of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ); Associate Staff Member on House Education & Labor Committee; and Law Clerk for the Eleventh District Court Of Appeals Of Ohio among others roles related to consumer product safety and protection.
In addition, she currently serves as Co-Chair of Women’s Bureau Advisory Council at U.S Department Of Labor which advises work/life balance initiatives for women as well as contributor to Forbes Magazine where she provides expert consultation about financial services industry regulation related issues impacting consumers’ wellbeing through her extensive assessment experience in both public sector and private companies in many countries around world such as United States Of America, United Kingdom among others. Political interest groups are confident that Bedoya brings a unique level of expertise that will add incredible value in protecting consumers from exploitation or abuse from commercial organizations across the USA.
Opposition from Business Lobbyists
Business lobbyists, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable, have opposed Rebecca Kelly Slaughter’s nomination to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairmanship due to her support for increased FTC enforcement actions against corporations and failure to fully support voluntary corporate compliance programs that aim to prevent violations in the first place.
Now, with President Joe Biden’s nomination of Jonathan Bedoya to serve as a FTC commissioner alongside Slaughter, this opposition is intensifying as business groups fear a heightened scrutiny into corporate governance due to Bedoya’s past corporate oversight experience while working at Consumer Reports and writing op-eds criticizing corporate decisions related to privacy and data security.
Opponents argue that Bedoya’s nomination signals a shift in the FTC away from its traditional role protecting consumers and towards increasing overly burdensome regulations on businesses. Moreover, they worry that his appointment will open up businesses to long-term sustained regulatory scrutiny on areas such as antitrust enforcement and big tech regulation in matters of privacy and across other issues such as labor practices and environmental issues.
Additionally, some are concerned about how his anticipated shift toward more robust regulation could hamper small business innovation; for example by requiring private companies address diversity gaps before launching products or services lacks nuance by applying strict rules before understanding nuances from industry specifics.
The U.S Senate is set to confirm Bedoya in March 2021 which may lead to new conflicts between regulators and lobbying groups going forward if his nomination receives enough votes from senators voting along party lines.
U.S. Senate set to confirm Bedoya as FTC commissioner
The U.S. Senate is set to confirm Rohit Chopra as FTC commissioner, alongside Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who former President Joe Biden nominated.
The confirmation of Rohit Chopra and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter comes after the nomination of Lina A. Bedoya for the same position. So let us take a closer look at who exactly is Lina A. Bedoya and why her nomination has sparked so much enthusiasm.
Bedoya’s Plans for the FTC
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter has closely monitored the nomination of Norman “Nostra” Bedoya for FTC commissioner. The U.S. Senate is set to confirm him officially soon.
Bedoya is a former Commissioner for the CFPB, under former President Trump. His vision for the commission entails taking on exclusive Big Tech antitrust probes and data privacy protection, among other initiatives. The FTC protects consumers from fraudulent or unethical practices by large companies, so having a more focused approach to addressing monopolies in the tech sector makes sense.
During a recent hearing with the Senate Commerce Committee, Bedoya explained that “monopolies demand our close attention and diligent enforcement but can only be corrected by rigorous enforcement of antitrust laws.” He also plans to use additional resources at the agency – such as research funds – to help foster competition within markets, including improved startup opportunities as marketplaces become increasingly monopolized and consolidated by large firms like Amazon, Apple and Google.
Additionally, Bedoya intends to focus on protecting consumers’ data privacy rights to give individuals a greater control over their information (a movement led by current FTC Chair Simons). He plans to use stronger enforcement tactics against those violating data protection laws and pursue possible criminal charges in extreme cases where these violations are particularly egregious and prolonged.
Impact on Consumer Protection and Business Regulations
The full U.S. Senate is set to confirm Noah Bedoya, a Democrat, as commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which serves as a key regulator of antitrust, consumer protection, and unfair business practices. The vote on Mr. Bedoya’s confirmation will occur in the coming weeks.
If confirmed, Mr. Bedoya will join FTC Chairman Simons and Commissioner Chopra in setting the regulatory agenda for the agency that guards against business practices such as price fixing and monopolies, protects consumers from unfair or deceptive practices, enforces data privacy laws and investigates fraud claims.
Mr. Bedoya will bring a strong regulatory background to the role, having held positions at state law firms in New York and California handling consumer litigation cases involving auto dealerships, financial services firms and product liability lawsuits as well as experience working for insurance companies defending against class action lawsuits regarding both billing fraud and medical insurance claims denials. In addition, before his nomination by President Biden to serve on the FTC Board of Commissioners, Mr. Bedoya served as an attorney advisor with Medicare’s Department of Health Care Rights & Security where he worked on health care law compliance issues related to nursing homes and addiction treatment centers around the country alongside protecting seniors from Medicaid fraud schemes targeting elderly individuals relying on government funded insurance funds for subsistence living needs.
As a member of both major Congressional committees – Commerce Science & Technology (CST) & Health Education Labor & Pensions (HELP) – Mr Bedoya was also strongly involved in fine tuning legislation that went through Congress into law relating data privacy protections for consumers online such as biometric data protections regulations that Sensitive Data Protection Act recently adopted passed last year by Congress-mandated security protocols enforced by be FTC dealing with telecommunications operators requiring companies like Google or Apple protect customers from unauthorized use of their data stored on phones app usage tracking devices known wifi hotspots across many parts America collected collected neighborhood level granularly data profiles what kind advertising releggy presented citizens those locations detailed demographic profile American consumers reveals race geographical location etc…
Mr. Bedoyan’s appointment to the Board of Commissioners signals that antitrust issues arising from Silicon Valley tech giants abusing their dominant market position – including potential probes into Apple Inc.’s App Store policy or Amazon’s alleged use anticompetitive behavior would be closely scrutinized during his term at FTC given long history working cases involving large corporations engaging unfair trade practices significant misuse power market leading companies.
