Today, the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee published a report summarizing the findings of a year-long bipartisan investigation into Big Tech’s market power. The report aims to determine where market forces have inadequately prevented abusive practices in the technology sector — and to devise appropriate policy interventions to promote more competition and innovation to fill those gaps.
Just as efforts to restructure the telecommunications industry were actively pursued by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission while the Justice Department sought to break up the AT&T monopoly, this report launches the complementary tools needed to make any antitrust litigation against dominant tech platforms successful efforts to expand competition.
The report marks a critical step forward for comprehensive reforms designed to mitigate any abuses instigated by dominant tech platforms. Public Knowledge urges Congress to update antitrust law and create new, pro-competition regulatory rules to rein in Big Tech — and allow the next successful company to take root.
The following can be attributed to Alex Petros, Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“We applaud the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee for its exhaustive work over the past year. Seven hearings and more than 250 interviews have culminated in this report, which will serve as an invaluable resource to policymakers, regulators, and antitrust enforcers seeking to increase competition among digital platforms.
“The report’s recommended bipartisan reforms include much needed reforms to our antitrust laws, from new presumptions against dominant digital mergers to shifting the burden of proof to lessen the load on overworked and underfunded agencies. Importantly, the report couples these legal recommendations with regulatory ideas Public Knowledge has long championed, from interoperability to a self-preferencing rule. If enacted, these proposals would be excellent news for consumers. They would empower users’ choice of platform, mean lower prices, more innovation, and a return to competition in markets lacking it for far too long.”
Public Knowledge’s experts are available to discuss the investigatory process, key points from the report, and what comes next.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.