The New York Times
06/10/2020 - 18:44
Clarín.com
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House lawmakers, who spent the past 15 months investigating the practices of the world's largest technology companies, said Tuesday that
Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google had exercised and abused their monopoly power
and called for changes. to antitrust laws, the biggest in half a century.
In a 449-page report that was presented by Democratic leaders of the House Judiciary Committee, lawmakers said the four companies had gone from being "tough" startups to "the kind of monopolies we last saw
in the era of the oil and railroad tycoons. "
Lawmakers said that companies had abused their dominant positions,
setting and often dictating prices and rules for commerce,
search, advertising, social media and publishing.
To redress the inequities, lawmakers recommended restoring competition by restructuring many of the companies, requesting the agencies that control market concentration.
They also proposed reforming the antitrust laws, in the biggest potential change since the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act of 1976, which created stronger reviews of large mergers.
"The totality of evidence produced during this investigation demonstrates the
urgent need for legislative action and reform,"
the report says.
"These companies have too much power, and that power needs to be controlled and properly monitored and enforced."
The House report is the largest government effort
to control the world's largest technology companies
since the government sued Microsoft for antitrust violations in the 1990s. It offers lawmakers a profoundly clear roadmap for turn criticism of Silicon Valley influence into action.
Democrats and Republicans
The report is also expected to initiate other actions against the tech giants.
The Justice Department has been working to file
an antitrust complaint
against Google, followed by separate lawsuits against the internet search giant from state attorneys general.
Antitrust investigations by Amazon, Apple and Facebook are also ongoing at the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, and four dozen state attorneys general.
But the House antitrust subcommittee was divided between Democrats and Republicans
on how to remedy and undermine the power
of tech companies, pointing to an uphill battle for Congress to reduce them.
Democrats proposed legal changes that could substantially restructure Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple.
They said Congress
should consider banning tech giants from giving
their own products
preferential treatment
, as Google does in search results, or from competing directly with other companies that use their platforms, as Amazon does in its market.
Some Republicans agreed with proposals to beef up funding for antitrust enforcement agencies, but opposed calls for Congress to
intervene in restructuring companies and their business models
.
Others have refused to back any of the Democrats' investigations.
"I agree with about 330 pages of the majority report," said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colorado.
But he said he could not agree to recommendations to embolden consumer demands and business dissolution, which he called "the nuclear option."
By Cecilia Kang and David McCabe. The New York Times
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