Governments Role: Ensuring Competition

1
Governments RoleEnsuring Competition?

• Chris Bertram
• Senate Committee on Commerce,
• Science and Technology

2
The Challenge

• The dynamic nature of the airline industry is one
  of the largest challenges policy makers face in
  defining an appropriate public role.
• Todays aviation industry looks different from
  what it looked like 5 or 10 years ago.
• Can we adequately predict what it will look like
  in the future?
• Industry is not fully deregulated important
  sectors remain under public control.

3
Recent Developments

• For the last two and a half years, public policy
  has been reactive.
• The Federal government has provided direct and
  indirect aid to the airline industry valued at
  over 18 billion.
• Key policy questions Did the industry use the
  assistance to truly restructure or simply to
  extend the status quo?

4
Prospective Policy

• The challenge is how to create a series of
  Federal policies and programs that create an
  environment where competition can flourish.
• What should our policies be on airspace, air
  traffic control services, regulation of airports,
  and foreign ownership / competition?
• How do we define fair or unfair competition and
  what is an appropriate enforcement role?