Jordan has already subpoenaed the CEOs of Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft, demanding communications between the companies and the U.S. government to “understand how and to what extent the Executive Branch coerced and colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor speech.”
Jordan has repeatedly questioned the usefulness of antitrust bills over the years, preferring to focus on what he views as censorship of conservative voices by the major tech platforms. In June 2021, during a 23-hour markup of a package of antitrust bills supported by Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Buck, Jordan said the legislation didn’t do enough to address those censorship concerns.
Buck, meanwhile, previously told CNBC that problems with bias on platforms like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are just a “symptom of the overall problem” of inadequate competition online. That’s because there’s a few dominant companies that run the largest platforms.
Representatives for Meta and Microsoft referred CNBC to previous statements where they said they were cooperating with Jordan’s subpoena. All the other tech giants mentioned in this article didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Last year, advocates for reforming antitrust laws were optimistic about the chances of passing major legislation that would strengthen competition rules for online shopping platforms, mobile apps and other relatively new technologies. The leading proposal at the time was the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, championed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., chair of the Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, then ranking member on the full committee. Though it passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and similar legislation advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee, it didn’t get to the floor of either chamber for a vote.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/15/apple-amazon-google-will-likely-get-a-reprieve-from-gop-controlled-house-on-antitrust-legislation.html