Offices and Bureaus

Commissioners


Office of Public Affairs

The Office of Public Affairs provides information to the public through the media. It issues news releases on all significant Commission actions, responds to reporters' inquiries and arranges television, radio, and print interviews for FTC officials. OPA issues a Weekly Calendar of Commission events and a Weekly Summary of press releases.


Office of Congressional Relations

The Office of Congressional Relations works closely with members of Congress and their staffs. The office informs Commissioners and FTC staff of Capitol Hill issues and policies and helps provide information on legislation of interest to the Commission. It also coordinates the preparation of both Congressional testimony and responses to Congressional inquiries concerning FTC policies and programs.


Office of the Executive Director

The Executive Director is the FTC's chief operating officer and manager, responsible for such matters as administrative services, financial management, procurement, human resources management, information and technology management, as well as overall FTC program and policy execution. The Executive Director directs the agency's reauthorization and appropriations efforts, and works closely with the bureaus on strategic planning and assessing the management and resource implications of any proposed action.


Office of the General Counsel

The General Counsel is the FTC's chief legal officer and adviser. The Office's major functions are representing the Commission in court and providing legal counsel to the Commission, operating bureaus, and other offices. The Office also handles all requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Office of International Affairs

The FTC works with competition and consumer protection agencies around the world to promote cooperation and convergence toward best practices. The FTC has built a strong network of cooperative relationships with its counterparts abroad, and plays a lead role in key multilateral fora.


Office of the Secretary

The Secretary is the Commission's "court clerk"; responsible for implementing the Commission's voting procedures, creating official records of its decisions, receiving and serving Commission orders and other official documents, and coordinating the preparation of responses to congressional constituent inquiries.


Office of Administrative Law Judges

The Office of Administrative Law Judges adjudicates litigation brought by the Bureaus. The administrative law judges issue orders resolving pretrial litigation, conduct administrative hearings, and issue Initial Decisions.


Office of Policy Planning

The Office of Policy Planning assists the Commission to develop and implement long-range competition and consumer protection policy initiatives and advises staff on cases raising new or complex policy and legal issues.


Office of Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General acts as the "agency cop" and as such is responsible for the detection and prevention of waste, fraud and abuse in agency programs. The Inspector General conducts audits and investigates allegations of wrongdoing within the agency. Persons aware of any staff misconduct are encouraged to call the Office of Inspector General at 202-326-2800.


Bureau of Competition

The FTC's antitrust arm, the Bureau of Competition seeks to prevent anticompetitive mergers and other anticompetitive business practices in the marketplace. By protecting competition, the Bureau promotes consumers' freedom to choose goods and services in an open marketplace at a price and quality that fit their needs - and fosters opportunity for businesses by ensuring a level playing field among competitors.


Bureau of Economics

The Bureau of Economics helps the FTC evaluate the economic impact of its actions. To do so, the Bureau provides economic analysis and support to antitrust and consumer protection investigations and rulemakings. It also analyzes the impact of government regulation on competition and consumers and provides Congress, the Executive Branch and the public with economic analysis of market processes as they relate to antitrust, consumer protection, and regulation.


Bureau of Consumer Protection

Bureau of Consumer Protection's mandate is to protect consumers against unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices. The Bureau enforces a variety of consumer protection laws enacted by Congress, as well as trade regulation rules issued by the Commission. Its actions include individual company and industry-wide investigations, administrative and federal court litigation, rulemaking proceedings, and consumer and business education. In addition, the Bureau contributes to the Commission's on-going efforts to inform Congress and other government entities of the impact that proposed actions could have on consumers.


Regional Offices

The Regional Offices cover seven geographic areas. The regional offices work with the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection to conduct investigations and litigation, provide advice to state and local officials on the competitive implications of proposed actions, recommend cases, provide local outreach services to consumers and businesspersons, and coordinate activities with local, state, and regional authorities. FTC regional offices frequently sponsor conferences for small businesses, local authorities, and consumer groups.


Last Modified: Monday, 02-Mar-2009 16:24:00 EST