More eyes will soon be monitoring the ticket sales industry after President Trump signed an executive order this week.
More eyes will soon be monitoring the ticket sales industry after President Trump signed an executive order this week.
Could this help provide some relief for music and sports fans?
We all know that buying a ticket to a concert or a sporting event can be a really frustrating experience.
NBC CT Responds has heard from so many of you as you wait in hours-long virtual lines to get a seat to a show or the sky-high prices on the secondary market, like with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Billy Joel at Mohegan Sun, too.
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The National Consumers League (NCL), a nonprofit advocacy group, said this executive order is a step in the right direction to protect frustrated fans.
On Monday, President Trump was joined by singer Kid Rock to sign the executive order.
In part, it directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review and address issues within the secondary ticketing market, ensure price transparency, and enforce the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, better known as the BOTS Act.
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John Breyault of the National Consumers League explains that the BOTS Act “makes the use of ticketing buying bots software that sort of scoops up all the tickets before you and I get a chance to get them illegal.”
“Unfortunately, there has only been one instance where the FTC has enforced that law since it took effect in 2019. So, we expect the FTC will put a greater emphasis on cracking down on online ticket bots," Breyault said.
The order also directs federal agencies to deliver a report in six months summarizing their actions and presenting future recommendations to protect consumers.
The NCL said solutions to fix ticket issues have been known for years, and this executive order is a great momentum for change.
“Fixing the ticketing market is a bipartisan issue. It’s not a democratic or republican issue, you know. People buy tickets to concerts and sporting events in blue states and red states, and they’re all equally fed up with how the ticketing marketplace is,” Breyault said.
Now, the NCL hopes Congress takes action and passes the Ticket Act, which would pass laws to strengthen this executive order and further protect consumers.
The House Commerce Committee will take up this bill on Wednesday.
