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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Executive Director is the FTC's chief operating
officer and manager, responsible for such matters as administrative
services, financial managmenet, 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.
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.
The Office of Consumer and Competition Advocacy oversees the advocacy program,
through which the agency shares its consumer and competition expertise, when requested,
with other government and self-regulatory entities concerning the possible effects of
their proposed actions on consumers and competition. It coordinates the efforts of the
bureaus and regional offices in preparing testimony, comments, and amicus curiae
briefs for presentation to federal, state, local, and self-regulatory agencies,
legislative bodies, and courts. These submissions advocate policies that will enhance both
competition and consumer choice. At the request of lawmakers or agency officials, comments
are often provided to assist legislatures' consideration of pending bills or to assist
agency rulemaking proceedings.
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