With House Republicans preparing to take over the committee gavels as soon as Rep. Kevin McCarthy (or someone else) is voted to the speaker’s gavel, the House Energy & Commerce Committee is signaling that holding the “destructive” force of Big Tech to account will be a priority.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has favorably reported the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (S. 673) to the Senate for a vote, potentially paving the way for broadcasters, newspapers and other journalism creators to share in the revenue their original news content generates for Big Tech platforms. That came at a business session Thursday.
State attorneys general are leading efforts to crack down on the power of big technology firms, as highlighted by California’s suit filed last week against Amazon and a Texas-led coalition’s measured win in its fight against Google. The cases are just two in a long line of state-led efforts to rein in the power of tech giants that are showcasing the bipartisan angst at Big Tech and momentum on the state level to take on the industry’s most dominant companies while congressional efforts to do so are stalled.
In the name of helping broadcasters better compete with Big Tech, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has introduced a bill that comprises a broadcaster wish list of deregulatory moves. But unless Republicans can take over both houses of Congress in the midterm election, the Local News and Broadcast Media Preservation Act of 2022 is unlikely to get traction.
Some advocates for children and teens are urging Senate leaders to hold a floor vote on two bills that could affect the content that young users can access online, as well as how their data is collected and harnessed. Both measures — the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (S. 1628) and the Kids Online Safety Act (S. 3663) — advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee in July.
Big Tech and antitrust enforcement activists are squaring off over a couple of bipartisan bills in Congress meant to address the size and power of tech giants like Facebook, Amazon and Google. They made their opposing views known in dueling letters to congressional leaders considering the new legislation.
Exclusives
Senators urge agency rulemaking on opt-in, protecting children and more.
A bill introduced Friday would boost the Federal Trade Commission’s authority by empowering the agency to fine companies the first time they commit an unfair or deceptive practice, and to more easily issue regulations. “For too long, the FTC has been hamstrung in its ability to promulgate effective rules of the road for consumers and penalize companies that harm our friends and neighbors,” Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Florida) said Friday when she announced the “21st Century FTC Act.”
As advertised, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), has reintroduced a bill to close the digital divide by connecting everyone to the internet at high speeds — 1 Gig is the goal.
