Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER PROTECTION NEWS: FTC Publishes Agenda for Mobile Cramming Roundtable, (May 1, 2013)

The FTC has announced the agenda for a roundtable discussion on mobile cramming to be held in Washington, D.C. on May 8.

Mobile cramming is the practice of placing unauthorized charges on consumers’ mobile telephone bills. The roundtable will discuss the practice and methods of combating it. The FTC recently brought its first case against an alleged mobile cramming operation, a business known as Wise Media LLC.

The roundtable will begin with an introduction by Chief of Staff Stephanie Rosenthal of the FTC Division of Financial Practices, followed by Welcoming Remarks from Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen.

After the introductions, a series of panel discussions will commence with a panel on "Understanding Third-Party Billing and Mobile Cramming," moderated by Assistant Regional Director Larissa Bungo of the FTC East Central Region and Mobile Program Specialist Andrew Schlossberg of the FTC Mobile Technology Unit. Panelists will include Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mike Altschul of the CTIA; Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud John Breyault of the National Consumers League; Strategic Policy Advisor and Major Case Director Larry Bryenton of the Canada Competition Bureau; CEO and President Jim Greenwell of BilltoMobile; Founder and CEO Jim Manis of the Mobile Giving Foundation; and Assistant Attorney General Kate Whelley McCabe of the Office of the Vermont Attorney General.

Following a break, the roundtable will proceed with a panel on "Current Strategies to Reduce Mobile Cramming," moderated by Staff Attorney Russell Deitch of the FTC Division of Marketing Practices and Staff Attorney Duane Pozza of the FTC Division of Financial Practices. Panelists will include Director of Communications Jim Chilsen of the Citizens Utility Board; General Counsel Cara Frey of the Mobile Marketing Association; Senior Security Project Manager Derek Halliday of Lookout Mobile Security; Chief Operating Officer John Bruner of Aegis Mobile; Assistant Attorney General Paul Singer of the Office of the Texas attorney General; and Senior Staff Counsel Chris Witteman of the California Public Utilities Commission.

After a lunch period, the panel discussions will conclude with a panel on "Other Possible Strategies to Address Mobile Cramming," moderated by Malini Mithal. Assistant Director of the FTC Division of Financial Practices, and Staff Attorney Jim Trilling of the FTC Division of Advertising Practices. Panelists will include Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mike Altschul of the CTIA; President and CEO Dave Asheim of Give by Cell; Policy Counsel Delara Derakshani of the Consumers Union; Attorney-Advisor Lynn Follansbee of the Policy Division of the Federal Communications Commission’s Governmental Affairs Bureau; Compliance Officer and Vice President of Support Martine Niejadlik of Boku; Chief Strategy Officer Alan Sege of m-Qube, Inc.; and Investigative Counsel Melanie Tiano of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.

The roundtable will close with remarks by Jessica Rich, Associate Director of the FTC Division of Financial Practices.

The roundtable will be free and open to the public, and will be held at the FTC Conference Center at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. Further information on the roundtable can be found on its website.

News: ConsumerProtection FederalTradeCommissionNews