Open Markets Files Comment Letter with Department of Commerce Urging Action to Address ICT Supply Chain Concentration

 

Monopolization of key parts of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry is causing political and economic harm

Open Markets Institute submitted a public comment in response to a request by the Department of Commerce on September 20, 2021, to assist the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Homeland Security in preparing a report required by Executive Order 14017 on “America’s Supply Chains.”

The report is based on the Biden administration’s intentions to strengthen America’s supply chains, including for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hardware.

In the comment, Open Markets urges the Biden administration to:

  • Use trade law, export controls, and other related tools to encourage diversification in global production of ICT hardware.

  • Expand antitrust policies to take account of geographic and ownership consolidation within supply chains.

  • Require corporations that import ICT hardware into the United States to diversify their contract manufacturing in ways that force contract manufacturers to distribute their manufacturing capacity more widely.

  • Require both U.S. firms and their contract manufacturers to stress-test and map networks of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and other elements of logistics networks to identify bottlenecks in the ICT supply chain.

Read the full letter below or download here.


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