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Education

Implications for network neutrality, collaboration However, it clearly signifies the anti-competitive practices
of the industry have finally caught Congress's attention.
What could be fodder for a separate, standalone article is
the final order's requirement of network neutrality, which One can only hope this will lead to a broader, more com-
imposes restrictions on Mastercard's ability to favor its petitive arena. Of course, with change come growing
own network over competitors. Legal interpretations of pains. This final order and resulting actions will face in-
network neutrality within the industry may evolve fur- creased regulatory scrutiny, legal challenges and a call for
ther as more cases arise. Anyone have eyes on Ajit? collaboration among payment networks. The landscape
has, once again, changed, and will likely change the tra-
The FTC's final order should act as motivation for new, jectory of the payment processing industry as a whole.
emerging payment networks to compete on what could be
a more level playing field. The next few years could pres-
ent a new group of Mavericks willing to throw their hat Before joining Global Legal Law Firm as an associate attorney, Adam
into the ring. As the great Irish poet William Yeats said, Bucci spent four years as a deputy district attorney prosecuting numer-
"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot ous misdemeanor and felony cases. At the DA's office, Adam's work
by striking." centered primarily on crimes of child abuse and domestic violence. Since
joining Global Legal, Adam has employed his trial experience by focus-
To avoid legal scrutiny and potential consequences, pay- ing on civil litigation and MATCH cases. Bill M. Petti is an associate attor-
ment networks may now collaborate and adopt compli- ney at Global Legal Law Firm. Prior to joining Global, Bill clerked for the
ance measures that promote fair competition. This shift United States Attorney's Office, a subagency of the Justice Department,
could lead to industry-wide changes, including revised in both the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Division and Civil Litigation
rules and policies that embrace a more open, competitive Division. Bill also interned for the United States Securities and Exchange
ecosystem. Commission during his second year of law school and assisted with
several high-profile investment adviser examinations. Contact Adam at
The far-reaching impact of the FTC's final order against abucci@attorneygl.com, and Bill at bpetti@attorneygl.com.
Mastercard won't be fully understood for some time.

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