FTC to Vote on Supply Chain Study at Nov. 18 Meeting

The FTC will vote at a Nov. 18 open meeting on whether to issue orders to large retailers and consumer goods suppliers to study the competition impact of supply chain disruptions, the agency announced Wednesday. The FTC Act Section 6(b) study would “focus on why these disruptions occur, whether they are leading to specific bottlenecks, shortages, anticompetitive practices, or contributing to rising consumer prices.” The White House launched a supply chain task force in June, and President Joe Biden in October addressed efforts from major retailers like Walmart, FedEx, UPS, Target and Samsung. FTC speaker registration and comment submissions are due Monday. Also on the agenda is a staff report on “the status of criminal referrals by the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection that have resulted in criminal enforcement action by federal and state legal authorities.” Commissioners will vote on whether to issue a statement regarding FTC commitments in this area. The meeting is at 1 p.m. EST.