Stefan Mileschin

Approved antitrust report

The US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee formally approved a report accusing Big Tech companies of buying or crushing smaller firms.

Representative David Cicilline's office said in a statement the more than 400-page staff report will become an official committee report, and the blueprint for legislation to rein in the market power of the likes of Alphabet, Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook.

The report was approved by a 24-17 vote that split along party lines which probably means the Republicans are looking for more Big Tech lobbying money. The companies have denied any wrongdoing.

The report first released in October - the first such congressional review of the tech industry - suggested extensive changes to antitrust law and described dozens of instances where it said the companies had misused their power.

Cicilline said in a statement that Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook each hold monopoly power over significant sectors of the US economy. This monopoly moment must end look forward to crafting legislation that addresses the important concerns.

The first bill has already been introduced. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers led by Cicilline and Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced legislation in March to make it easier for news organizations to negotiate collectively with platforms like Google and Facebook.

https://fudzilla.com/news/52707-us-g...ar-on-big-tech