Last summer, Jen Howard, the chief of staff for FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, told all FTC staff members to cancel all of their scheduled speaking engagements as part of a "moratorium on public events and press outreach." At the time, Howard said, "The American public needs this agency solving problems, not speaking on panels."
According to media reports, last week, Khan lifted the ban on public speaking. In an e-mail to FTC staff, Howard apologized for the instituting the plan, saying, "I deeply regret that I made people feel like they do not have our trust and respect. Nothing could be further from the truth."
This will be a welcome change for industry, since FTC speakers at conferences are often the most popular programs, since they give insight into the FTC's thinking on recent enforcement actions, newly-announced policies, and enforcement priorities.
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