In a setback for supporters in the U.S. House and Senate who had been pushing for a vote before the midterm elections, Congress is set to depart for its August recess soon without acting on a bipartisan antitrust bill targeting the largest U.S. technology companies.
Ryan Tracy for The Wall Street Journal:
“If the bill had the support its supporters contended, it wouldn’t be a bill, it would be a law,” said Matt Schruers, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include Amazon.com Inc., Google owner Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc. and Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc.
The bill has some Republican support, though many conservatives oppose it. That means the legislation’s prospects could plummet next year if Republicans gain control of the House, Senate, or both after midterm elections in November.
The bill’s main targets are Amazon, Apple and Google, which have backed groups spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising and lobbying in an effort to sink it.
Several conservatives have argued against regulation of large tech platforms, including Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.). “Rather than pursue even stronger antitrust laws, Congress should allow the free market to thrive where consumers, not the government, decide how big a company should be,” Mr. Paul wrote in a June op-ed.
On the Democratic side, objections have notably come from the California delegation, where most of the affected companies are based.
“It’s a profound departure from our history to target specific companies for antitrust in legislation,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote on Tuesday, describing the prospects of these Senate and House bills passing as tenuous (“if the bills ever come up for vote, much less become law”):
No one is forced to use an iPhone.
Apple does not have a monopoly position in smartphones. Therefore, Apple should not be subject to so-called antitrust laws.
Mobile Operating System Market Share Worldwide (StatCounter, June 2022):
• Android: 72.12%
• iOS: 27.22%
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@MDN Why shouldn’t Apple be subject to US antitrust legislation when the market share is around 60/30%?
You always make the argument that Android has more market share while conveniently ignoring the fact that in the US they have considerably more.
Also, this is NOT just about Apple, it’s legislation aimed at preventing all gatekeepers from abusing their dominant position… companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Twitter, and so on… they’re all included.
Correction, 60/40…
If I thought for one minute that the main goal of this “anti-trust” legislation was to curb abusive behavior, I would be for it. But just listening to the congressional anti-trust hearings, I quickly realized a few things.
1. Most of the congress people barely had a working knowledge of tech issues, anti-trust or otherwise. It was like watching a 90-year old trying to work a DVD player–painful and embarrassing.
2. Most congress people were simply grandstanding or trying to score political points.
3. Originally, anti-trust laws were designed to protect consumers, now it seems they are designed simply punish big companies because they are big.
4. This: https://reason.com/video/2020/08/03/what-should-have-happened-at-the-big-tech-antitrust-hearing/
“The problem is, despite his underhanded attacks on Cook, firstfuk is a stooge for corporate elites.”
The problem is, Leftists masquerading as signers of the Constitution going after defenders of the Constitution with childish name calling, you are seriously confused, hypocritical and deceptive.
“His incessant partisanship proves every day that he doesn’t believe in representative democracy, where people with a wide variety of skills, data, and abilities can pick their representatives from any party, or no party, and compromise to establish rules that everyone, including corporations, will live by.”
What you are proving today, lying, and just saying so does not make it true. No one waves the flag of our Constitution more and believes the U.S. is a democratic republic everyone can excel in, than Firsty.
“corporations with deep pockets should write legislation for his one ruling party, that his favorite executives should be immune to rule of law”
Yup, you’re talking about the Biden administration and the favorite unqualified executive, Hunter Biden and too dumb to know it.
“In short, everything firstfuck writes is unAmerican”
In short, everything you write is not backed by facts and your pitiful attempt to REDEFINE what an American is or is not… BIG LIE. Quit while you’re behind…
Congress won’t get much done till they see what info is manufactured by the Storm Troopers latest crime agains the Constitution.
They are all standing around with their finger in the air testing the wind.
(I won’t say where the finger was to get wet…)
Aw bless. Snowflake tears.
Funny how you cheered on those same storm troopers going after Hillary with “Lock her up”
Hypocrisy personified.
Waiting for the ‘Evidence planted by FBI’ meme