The House Energy and Commerce committee launched an investigation on Thursday into practices within the live event ticketing industry.
"The Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over consumer protection issues, is concerned about potentially unfair and deceptive practices occurring in the primary and secondary ticket marketplace, many of which have been documented in consumer complaints, press stories, and government reports," wrote the Committee leaders.
They pointed out that the type and amount of fees vary by transaction, but they may include a facility fee, service fee and processing fee. An audit published in 2018 by the Government Accountability Office found that fees associated with a ticket purchase averaged 27 percent of the ticket's face value on the primary market, and averaged 31 percent of the list price on the secondary market.