Washington – Sen. Amy Klobuchar reintroduced a slightly revised version of her controversial S. 2992 bill that had come under criticism for a range of issues from increasing costs on popular digital services to requiring U.S. firms to share data with foreign companies. The manager’s amendment unfortunately contains most of the same provisions. During the markup where Senate Judiciary members approved the bill, many senators who voted in support indicated they would need to see fixes to problems ranging from privacy to security before they would support it in a floor vote.
Since the bill was introduced, 12 former national security officials expressed concern about the national security implications of the proposal.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated for robust competition in the tech industry since 1972. The following can be attributed to CCIA Vice President of Global Competition and Regulatory Policy Krisztian Katona:
“It is encouraging that bill sponsors have recognized this legislation is problematic, but unfortunately these changes do not address the problems identified by national security experts, economists, and consumer advocates.
“As an organization that has supported sound antitrust enforcement to address anticompetitive behavior, this is too important to use as a political football. Congress’s attempt to regulate the market and to create winners and losers has resulted in legislation that would benefit foreign competitors and harm consumers. The senate should reject this approach – not tinker with it.”