Committee vote advances full suite of tech bills to House floor

WASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee voted today in favor of advancing the final piece of a suite of antitrust bills aiming to rein in Big Tech. All six bills passed with bipartisan support.

In response, the Open Markets Institute issued the following statement:

“The Open Markets Institute commends the leadership of Chairman David Cicilline and Ranking Member Ken Buck, and members of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, for voting out of committee several bipartisan bills that implement the recommendations of the subcommittee’s October 2020 report. The report presented irrefutable evidence that Big Tech has used anti-competitive conduct and acquisitions to grow and maintain monopoly power. By violating the antitrust laws, the platforms harm citizens, working people, entrepreneurs, creators, suppliers, and consumers. The bills seek to combat these harms to all Americans and promote economic dynamism, innovation, and the marketplace of ideas.

“The bills’ proponents overcame opposition from committee members who repeatedly attempted to delay and obfuscate the vote and parroted the platform monopolists’ talking points. These representatives, who served monopolists instead of the American people, dragged out the markup for more than 24 hours. But the bills’ proponents persisted.

“We recognize how incredibly hard the members of the subcommittee and their staff have worked, and we look forward to continuing this great task with them. The legislation is a major first step forward in protecting American democracy and American liberty from the power and control of platform monopolists. Through Congress, the American people served notice that we intend to break or neutralize all private corporate power on the internet that threatens our democracy, our communities, our families, and our livelihoods.

“We view these bills as the beginning of what will be a long national effort to establish rules of the road for how we share information and do business in the 21st century. We believe these bills – especially as they are further strengthened in the days to come – will serve as a cornerstone for that effort. We look forward to working with all members of Congress to further develop and drive forward this vital work in the days and months to come.”

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