FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AT

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2006	(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV	TDD (202) 514-1888

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION HEARINGS ON SINGLE-FIRM CONDUCT TO CONTINUE ON SEPTEMBER 26

Session to be Held in Washington, D.C. to Focus on Empirical Perspectives

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced that the fifth in a series of joint public hearings designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust laws will take place on September 26, 2006, in Washington, D.C. As previously announced, these hearings will examine whether and when specific types of single-firm conduct may violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act by harming competition and consumer welfare and when they are procompetitive and lawful. The hearings will continue during the coming months.

The panel on September 26 will examine existing empirical work regarding single-firm conduct and address areas where future work would be helpful. The session will be held at the FTC's Conference Center at 601 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., Conference Room C.

Further information is provided below:

Understanding Single-Firm Behavior: Empirical Perspectives Session (9:00 AM - 12:30 PM):

F. Michael Scherer is Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Corporate Management in the Aetna Chair, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and former Director of the FTC's Bureau of Economics.

Luke M. Froeb is the William C. and Margaret W. Oehmig Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, and former Director of the FTC's Bureau of Economics.

Wally Mullin is an Associate Professor of Economics, George Washington University.

Jonathan B. Baker is a Professor of Law, Washington College of Law, American University, and former Director of the FTC's Bureau of Economics.

Clifford Winston is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution.

David Reitman is a Principal at CRA International Inc.

Robert C. Marshall is Head of the Department of Economics and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Auctions, Procurements, and Competition Policy, Pennsylvania State University (currently on leave), and Partner, Bates White LLC.

The public and press are invited to attend all of the hearings. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested parties may submit written comments to the Antitrust Division and the FTC.

Further information about these hearings will be posted on the Antitrust Division's Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/hearings/single_firm/sfchearing.htm and on the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/os/sectiontwohearings/index.htm. Individuals seeking more information on the hearings should contact Gail Kursh, Deputy Chief, Legal Policy Section, Antitrust Division, at singlefirmconduct@usdoj.gov, or Patricia Schultheiss, FTC, at section2hearings2@ftc.gov.

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