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Ken Buck supports Big Tech antitrust legislation

'If enacted, these bills will prohibit Big Tech companies from abusing their market dominant position to crush small businesses'
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NEWS RELEASE
CONGRESSMAN KEN BUCK
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WASHINGTON – Rep. Ken Buck (CO-04), the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, issued the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee passed bipartisan antitrust legislation today:

“This legislation is the direct result of my colleagues’ tireless work throughout the Antitrust Subcommittee’s 18-month investigation into the anti-competitive practices of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. I want to thank Chairman David Cicilline for his leadership and dedication to bipartisanship during the investigation and the legislative drafting process.

“I am also grateful for the support of Reps. Matt Gaetz, Burgess Owens, Madison Cawthorn, Lance Gooden, Victoria Spartz, Chip Roy, Dan Bishop, Paul Gosar, Ralph Norman, Yvette Herrell, and Gus Bilirakis in the push for antitrust reform. Without their courage, none of this legislation would have been possible.

“Finally, I would like to thank Chairman Nadler for bringing our timely legislation before the House Judiciary Committee and my colleagues on the committee for supporting the legislation despite intense pressure from pro-monopoly lobbyists.

“If enacted into law, these narrowly tailored bills will prohibit Big Tech companies from abusing their market dominant position to crush small businesses, harm innovation, distort and destroy the free market, trample on consumers, and silence conservatives.

“Big Government created Big Tech monopolists through antitrust amnesty. The conservative thing to do is to hold Big Tech accountable. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation and I look forward to its swift passage on the House floor.”

Background:

“A Stronger Online Economy: Opportunity, Innovation, and Choice” is the most aggressive, bipartisan effort in the last century to strengthen America’s antitrust laws. The package consists of six bipartisan bills drafted by lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, who completed an 18-month investigation last year into the state of competition in the digital marketplace and the unregulated power wielded by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.

  • H.R. 3816, the “American Choice and Innovation Online Act” prohibits discriminatory conduct by dominant platforms, including a ban on self-preferencing and picking winners and losers online. The bill is sponsored by Chairman Cicilline (RI-01) and co-sponsored by Ranking Member Buck (CO-04) and Reps. Madison Cawthorn (NC-11) and Lance Gooden (TX-05).

  • H.R. 3826, the “Platform Competition and Opportunity Act” prohibits acquisitions of competitive threats by dominant platforms, as well as acquisitions that expand or entrench the market power of online platforms. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and co-sponsored by Ranking Member Buck (CO-04) and Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Madison Cawthorn (NC-11), and Lance Gooden (TX-05).

  • H.R. 3825, the “Ending Platform Monopolies Act” eliminates the ability of dominant platforms to leverage their control across multiple business lines to self-preference and disadvantage competitors in ways that undermine free and fair competition. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and co-sponsored by Ranking Member Buck (CO-04) and Reps. Madison Cawthorn (NC-11) and Lance Gooden (TX-05).

  • H.R. 3849, the “Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (ACCESS) Act” establishes interoperability and data portability requirements, promoting competition online by lowering barriers to entry and switching costs for businesses and consumers. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) and co-sponsored by Ranking Member Buck (CO-04) and Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04), Madison Cawthorn (NC-11), and Lance Gooden (TX-05).

  • H.R. 3843, the “Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act” updates filing fees for mergers for the first time in two decades to ensure that the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have the resources they need to effectively enforce antitrust law. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02) and co-sponsored by Ranking Member Buck (CO-04) and Reps. Victoria Spartz (IN-05), Chip Roy (TX-21), Madison Cawthorn (NC-11), and Lance Gooden (TX-05).

  • H.R. 3460, the “State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act” gives State Attorneys General the ability to stay in their preferred venue. Big Tech has tried to relocate and combine State antitrust cases to slow down the process and obtain more favorable rulings from liberal judges. States play a critical role in enforcing antitrust law and should have the same benefit federal antitrust enforcers have to select and remain in the venue where the case is filed. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02) and co-sponsored by Chairman Cicilline (RI-01), Ranking Member Buck (CO-04), and Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04), Chip Roy (TX-21), Dan Bishop (NC-09), Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Yvette Herrell (NM-02), and Gus Bilirakis (FL-12).

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