Phillips Hopes for FTC Reversal on Staff Morale Levels

It’s a “fact” FTC staff is showing “low morale,” and hopefully it's a trend the full commission can reverse, FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips said Tuesday during The Media Institute's Communications Forum event. Commissioner Christine Wilson spoke at length about the topic earlier this month (see 2205060056). Phillips said he was “chilled” to see the decline in the agency survey about how staff views agency leadership’s integrity. He noted career staffers, including Democratic appointees, have been leaving the FTC, which he said doesn’t look good from the inside or outside. He repeated opposition to the FTC pursuing a privacy rulemaking, saying the agency should leave legislative policymaking to Congress. Commercial surveillance is a broad term, and privacy involves major trade-offs best left to Congress, he said. The agency didn't comment.