Washington – The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to markup several bills that would be a radical departure from the way the U.S. has regulated businesses. The so-called antitrust bills cover a broad range of issues and new rules that would apply to only a few tech companies but not other competitors, including some Chinese companies.
The legislation has come under criticism from moderate Democrats and Republicans in recent days for conflicting with legislation in the Senate that seeks to boost the U.S. tech industry as it competes with China and other countries. The bills that would harm our own tech industry are being marked up just a week after President Biden warned U.S. allies in Europe not to target U.S. companies for discriminatory treatment.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association had sent a letter to House Judiciary leaders earlier this month asking them to hold hearings on the various bills aimed at a handful of tech companies.
CCIA has advocated for policies promoting competition in the tech industry since 1972. The following can be attributed to CCIA President Matt Schruers:
“These bills unreasonably target leading U.S. tech companies that have improved users’ experience with innovation, efficiency, and low-cost or free-to-the-user services. By singling out a handful of popular, consumer-centric businesses, these industrial policy bills are anti-consumer.
“These bills would harm consumers and thousands of smaller businesses that use digital services to reach worldwide markets. They put the U.S. economy and the U.S. position as a leader in innovation at risk. Instead of boosting U.S. innovation to compete with threats from abroad, as did the recently enacted USICA, these bills would dis-incentivize innovation by affording foreign rivals a free ride on a few U.S. companies’ R&D investments.”