Originally published: March 11, 2009
Last updated: March 11, 2009 - 5:42pm
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz wants to work with Congress on reauthorization legislation this year that he believes will make his agency more effective. The agency currently has 1,100 employees -- several hundred less than it needs, he said. Chairman Leibowitz top priorities for the agency in the coming months:
1) curbing predatory financial practices, which he believes will only worsen during the recession;
2) stop brand pharmaceutical companies from paying off generic drugmakers to delay the availability of their low-cost versions to consumers; and
3) making sure Internet advertising firms respect consumer privacy -- thus far, self-regulatory efforts by industry in this arena are not working, he said.