Congressman Marsha Blackburn is making her case again to rein in ticket scalpers. She highlighted her legislation in a hearing with the chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission Tuesday.
Ticket scalping has become a pet issue for Congressman Blackburn, who counts many famous performers as constituents in her district, which includes Williamson County. She wants to make it illegal for scalpers to use hacking software to cut in front of the line on ticket websites, then sell those tickets for inflated prices.
Under the legislation, it would be considered an “unfair and deceptive practice,” allowing people who miss out on tickets to sue scalpers in federal court.
Blackburn says entertainers go to great lengths to build relationships with fans and the scalpers are — in her words — “decimating the experience.”
“This is about keeping the marketplace fair and about allowing consumers to do — to exercise — online commerce,” she said in the hearing.
Since the
last time Blackburn proposed similar legislation, New York’s Attorney General has
released an extensive report, calling the concert ticket market a “fixed game.” And ticket re-selling sites have signaled they are open to more regulation.
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