Commissioner Orson Swindle

B2B Workshop Comments

May 7, 2001

Interesting discussion this morning on B2B mergers and interoperability.

Took us back to the heady days of our initial workshop last summer when the NASDAQ was still flying high and all the hot money was pursuing B2B ventures.

While that speculative bubble has burst, B2B still offer a new tool for potential efficiencies and cost savings.

In light of the of the recent hype and subsequent fall, B2Bs must deliver trust.

As I said last summer, No trust = No business.

B2Bs must create real value and fulfill expectations of increased efficiency and cost savings.

If history is any teacher about conduct, we can count on a lot of honest mistakes and a lot of intentional efforts to operate close to the edge of allowable conduct.

Competition principles have weathered the test of time.

It is widely recognized that the fundamental principles of antitrust and consumer protection that make our competitive economic model work are still applicable today.

That's why this afternoon panel is important.

We have learned a lot since last summer and now its time to drill down to specifics.

The devil really is in the details.

This panel will consider the specifics of operating rules like information sharing, structure, compliance, access to information and emerging issues in standard setting.

I hope we can have a lively discussion about those issues.

Thank you for your participation and I look forward to hearing the types of real world problems you have encountered from your clients and the type of developing issues you see on the horizon.